GIFT  OF 

L.7?.  Ames 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


Mr.    Eastman    in    Costume. 


$ever(  kqd  JNiqe 


AMONG     THE 


L/AMANCHES  AND  T1PACHES.' 


/ 


N    AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 

•-..    / 


JERSEY   CITY,   N.  J. 
PUBLISHED   BY   CLARK  JOHNSON,  M.D. 

1874. 


j, 

Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1873,  b? 
CLARK  JOHNSON,  M.D.,  JERSEY  CITY,  N.  J., 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 
* 


1 


CONTENTS. 


I.  INTRODUCTORY 5 

II.  THE  CAPTURE 18 

III.  A  STRANGE  ADVENTURE 22 

IV.  AGAIN  A  PRISONER 30 

V.  THE  INDIAN  TOWN 39 

VI.  THE  TORTURE 47 

VII.  WA-KO-MET-KLA 57 

VIII.  A  NEW  VOCATION 68 

IX.  THE  "MYSTERY  BAG" 73 

X.  INDIAN  LIFE 86 

XL  MRS.  EASTMAN'S  STORY 95 

XII.  MRS.  EASTMAN'S  STORY  CONTINUED 103 

XIII.  MRS.  EASTMAN'S  STORY  CONTINUED Ill 

XIV.  HOPES  AND  FEARS — AN  ADVENTURE 119 

XV.  TREED  BY  A  GRIZZLY 125 

XVI.  SOME  CURIOUS  CUSTOMS 184 

XVII.  THE  BUFFALO  DANCE 143 

XVIIL  A  STRANGE  HISTORY 150 

XIX.  A  STRANGE  HISTORY  CONTINUED 159 

XX.  THE  BUFFALO  HUNT.  .  171 


OHAFTKB.  P  AC  II - 

XXI.  MRS  EASTMAN'S  STOBY  CONTINUED 1:34 

XXII.  FEASTS,  FASTS,  AND  FACTS l'.»2 

XXIII.  THE  WAB  PABTY 208 

XXIV.  MY  FrasT  SCALP 2:i2 

XXV.  THE  FEAST  OP  THK  GREEN  COBN 2113 

XXVI.  DANOEB  AHEAD 2^2 

XXVII.  THE  ESCAPE 2^ 

XXVIII.  A  NEW  DEPARTURE 2(3 

XXIX.  THE  "VIGILANTS" 277 

XXX.  CONCLUSION..  £9 


SEVEN  AND  NINE  YEARS 
AMONG  THE  CAMANCHES  AND  APACHES. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

}N  making  my  bow  to  the  public  as  an  author,  I 
feel  it  incumbent  upon  me  to  make  a  brief  ex 
planation  of  the  motives  that  induced  me  to  at- 
tempt  this  autobiographical  sketch  of  nine  years 
of  my  life.  At  intervals  during  the  past  decade,  the 
country  has  been  electrified  by  the  recital  of  some 
horror  perpetrated  by  Indians  on  white  travelers, 
and  those,  who,  having  journeyed  to  the  Far  West, 


6 

had  settled,  intending  to  make  the  wilderness  blossom 
like  the  rose.  Through  the  medium  of  the  press,  the 
details  of  these  heart-rending  cruelties  were  widely  dis 
seminated,  arid  aroused  the  just  indignation  of  all 
peaceful  and  order-loving  citizens.  To  such  an  extent 
did  popular  feeling  rise  at  times,  that  farmers  and 
drovers  on  the  border,  organized  themselves  into 
bands,  and  on  the  report  of  some  fresh  outrage  hast 
ened  to  the  scene,  pursued  the  perpetrators  of  the  deed , 
and  not  unfrequently  visited  upon  the  Indians  & 
vengeance  ofttimes  of  a  very  sanguinary  character. 

In  these  ^orays  of  the  savages,  they  frequently  car 
ried  off  if  :heir  mountain  fastnesses  women  and  chil 
dren,  who  were  never  liea^d  of  more.  Thus,  when 
our  feelings  were  harrowed  up  by  the  report  of 
••-.itchcries,  the  tales  of  life-long  suffering  of  the  for 
lorn  captives  were  scarcely  ever  known.  Snatched 
ruthlessly  from  the  bosom  of  their  families,  they  were 
mourned  for  a  time  and  then  they,  by  slow  degrees, 
faded  from  the  memory  of  their  friends  and  relatives, 
and  when  thought  of  at  all,  it  was  as  of  those  dead. 
In  these  chapters  I  will  detail  the  trials  and  suffer 
ings  of  such  as  these,  believing  that  the  experiences 
of  my  wife  and  myself,  during  our  captivity  among 
the  Camanches  and  Apaches,  will  serve  as  a  prototype 
of  many  similar  cases. 

It  was  some  time,  and  with  not  a  little  persuasion 
before  I  could  be  induced  to  overcome  the  diffidence 
I  felt  about  making  my  private  history  public,  and  ap- 


pearing  in  print.  By  those  who  have  become  authors, 
my  feelings  will  be  understood  and  appreciated  ;  but 
to  others  who  constitute  the  reading  public  it  would 
be  impossible  to  describe  the  trepidation  with  which 
the  tyro  puts  forth  his  first  literary  venture,  and  had 
it  not  been  for  the  earnest  entreaties  of  my  esteemed 
friend,  Dr.  Clark  Johnson,  who  used  naively  to  say 
that  what  was  a  source  of  such  pleasure  to  him  must 
be  entertaining  to  the  public,  I  doubt  very  much  if  I 
ghould  have  ever  put  pen  to  paper  in  the  capacity  of. 
an  author. 

"With  this  introduction,  I  will,  as  briefly  as  may  be, 
relate  my  experiences,  nothing  extenuating,  and  set 
ting  down  naught  in  malice. 

My  family  were  originally  from  Massachusetts,  my 
father  being  a  descendant  of  the  Puritans,  he  in 
herited  many  of  the  qualities  of  his  ancestors,  and, 
joined  to  a  high  integrity,  he  possessed  a  dogged 
will  that  at  times  amounted  to  stubbornness.  From 
childhood  he  had  led  the  life  of  a  farmer,  and  my 
earliest  recollections  are  associated  with  country  life. 
My  father's  disposition  might  be  characterized  as 
restless;  and  after  sojourning  for  a  time  in  one 
place,  he  would  evince  symptoms  of  uneasiness  which 
would  result  in  the  family  moving  to  some  new  spot, 
and  breaking  ground  in  virgin  soil  on  the  confines 
of  civilization.  By  these  successive  removals  we 
soon  found  ourselves  far  to  the  west  of  the  home  of 
our  ancestors,  and  at  the  time  my  father  resolved  to 


8 

go  to  California,  we  owned  a  very  nice  farm  in  Mis 
eoiiri,  and  as  far  as  I  could  eee  were  very  comfort 
ably  situated.  On  returning  from  the  county  se.it 
one  Saturday,  my  father  electrified  us  with  the  in 
telligence  that  he  thought  seriously  of  going  Wctt. 
Had  a  bombshell  exploded  in  our  midst  it  cou'd 
scarcely  have  created  greater  consternation;  on  in 
quiring  what  had  induced  such  a  sudden  determina 
tion  on  his  part,  he  was  fain  to  confess  that  he  had 
•met  a  gentleman  in  town  who  had  but  just  arrived 
from  the  new  El  Dorado,  and  who  spoke  so  en 
thusiastically  of  this  marvelous  country,  that  he  led 
my  fathers  too  diligent  car  captive,  and  his  mii:d 
was  saturated  with  the  desire  to  see,  without  further 
delay,  this  wonderful  land.  The  rest  of  the  family 
stoutly  objected  to  such  a  hasty  resolve,  and  we  final 
ly  effected  a  compromise,  and  it  was  agreed  that  tie 
stranger  should  be  invited  to  spend  a  portion  of  hia 
time  at  our  house,  and  during  his  visit  we  could  con 
sult,  argue,  and  finally  conclude  what  action  should 
bo  taken  in  the  matter. 

I  had  serious  misgivings  that  our  fair  home  was 
doomed  ;  knowing  too  well  my  father's  character,  and 
that  any  objections  we  might  make  to  the  proposed 
departure  would  only  strengthen  his  determination  to 
have  his  own  way.  Such  was  his  intense  love  for  the 
unknown,  that  any  plausible  fellow  could  induce  him 
to  sec  the  advantages  of  owning  a  thousand  acres  of 
wild  land  to  liis  own  well-tilled  homestead. 


9 

The  following  week  Mr.  Terhune  made  his  advent 
among  us.  He  was  a  fair  type  of  the  adventurer,  and 
seemed  a  man  who  could  be  equal  to  any  emergency 
circumstances  might  demand ;  of  robust  form,  a  com 
plexion  bronzed  by  exposure,  and  with  an  address  so 
pleasing  when  he  wished  to  exert  himself,  that  he 
soon  became  a  favorite,  especially  with  the  female 
portion  of  the  family.  He  adapted  himself  to  our 
mode  of  life  with  wonderful  ease,  and  apparently  was 
making  preparations  for  a  visit  that  should  outlast  our 
expectations.  The  beauties  and  advantages  of  a  home 
in  his  adopted  State  was  his  constant  theme  ;  and  so 
pleasantly  did  he  talk,  illustrating  his  arguments  with 
anecdotes  so  amusing  and  apposite,  that  I  felt  myself 
being  perceptibly  influenced  by  his  views,  and  used  to 
dream  of  climbing  trees  of  prodigious  height,  and 
gathering  nuggets  from  their  branches  as  if  they 
were  apples.  When  lending  an  assisting  hand  at  our 
farm  labors,  he  would  descant  on  the  fertility  of  the 
soil  on  the  Pacific  Slope,  saying  that  crops  grew  almost 
spontaneously,  and  related  what  fortunes  could  be 
made  raising  sheep. 

By  such  means  were  we  seduced  into  the  conviction 
that  a  change  of  base  was  not  only  advantageous,  but 
necessary,  and  it  was  finally  decided  to  go.  Mr.  Ter- 
hune  said  he  could  negotiate  an  exchange,  by  which 
we  could  dispose  of  our  farm  for  California  real 
estate,  whereby  we  would  be  the  gainers;  and  one 
Monday  morning  in  April,  he  left  us  for  St.  Louis,  to 


10 

complete  the  trade  and  purchase.  Our  intentions  be 
coming  known  in  the  vicinity,  our  neighbors  seemed 
to  take  an  especial  interest  in  our  movements,  and 
many  were  the  staid  old  farmers  who  called  to  offer 
us  their  advice  and  wishes  for  our  future  prosperity. 
Being  notified  that  all  was  in  readiness,  and  that  we 
could  start  as  soon  as  it  suited  our  convenience,  we 
lost  no  time  in  packing  what  few  articles  we  required, 
and  bidding  cur  friends  adieu,  we  commenced  our 
journey. 

Arriving  in  St.  Louis,  we  were  greeted  by  Mr.  Ter- 
hime  who  escorted  us  to  the  Planters'  Hotel,  where 
we  were  temporarly  to  reside  until  the  steamboat  on 
which  we  were  to  embark  w_as  ready  to  leave.  The 
few  days  spent  in  the  metropolis  of  the  West,  was 
thoroughly  enjoyed  by  our  little  party,  as  under  the 
guidance  of  our  friend  we  visited  all  the  places  of  in 
terest  in  the  neighborhood.  On  Saturday,  April  30th, 
we  embarked  on  the  steamboat  Prairie  Flower, 
bound  for  Independence,  where  we  were  to  make  the 
necessaiy  purchases  for  our  outfit  in  crossing  the 
plains,  and  were  also  to  join  a  train  that  was  being 
formed,  and  of  which  we  were  to  become  part  and 
parcel.  After  an  uneventful  journey  we  reached  In 
dependence,  only  to  find  that  the  train  we  expected 
to  join  had  left  two  days  previously;  here  was  a 
dilemma,  and  we  were  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  I  was  in 
favor  of  waiting  until  another  train  could  be  formed, 
but  father  objected,  stating  as  his  reasons,  that  it  would 


11 

consume  botli  time  arid  money ;  neither  of  which  did 
we  possess  in  vast  quantities.  Meantime  we  had  be 
come  the  centre  of  attraction  to  quite  a  motley  crowd, 
who  stood  looking  on,  and  seemed  to  take  a  lively  in 
terest  in  us,  criticising  our  appearance  and  indulging 
in  various  remarks  which  were  not  always  of  a  com 
plimentary  character.  Noticing  an  old  weather-beaten 
frontiersman,  who  stood  some  little  distance  off,  and 
thinking  he  could  perhaps  suggest  a  way  out  of  our 
difficulty,  I  made  up  to  him,  and  after  the  usual  salu 
tations  and  a  proffer  of  some  tobacco,  to  which  he 
helped  himself  in  rather  large  quantities,  I  asked  him 
his  opinion,  and  what  he  thought  we  had  best  do  under 
the  circumstances. 

Drawing  his  lank  form  out  of  the  entanglement  it 
seemed  to  have  been  in,  he  delivered  himself  in  some 
what  the  following  manner : 

"  Wai  stranger,  pears  to  me,  I  would  jist  git  rite 
arter  that  ere  party,  quicker'n  greased  lightning,  kaso 
you  see,  they  haint  been  gone  long,  and  if  you  drive 
yer  animiles  rite  smart,  you  will  ketch  up  in  jist  no 
time." 

This  advice  struck  me  as  excellent,  and  returning 
to  our  party  I  communicated  it  to  them.  "We  resolved 
to  adopt  it  at  once,  only  wondering  we  had  not  thought 
of  it  before. 

Having  come  to  this  determination,  we  busied  our 
selves  with  the  necessary  preparations,  and  on  the 
tliird  day  after  the  departure  of  the  train,  we  bade 


12 

adieu  to  the  lew  acquaintances  made  during  our  brief 
sojourn  at  Independence,  and  struck  out  upon  the 
almost  trackless  prairie. 

Our  equipment  was  that  in  general  use  among 
prairie  travelers,  and  consisted  of  a  "  Concord  "  wagon, 
covered  with  white  canvas,  and  drawn  by  six  mules, 
in  the  management  of  which  rather  intractable  ani 
mals  my  father  was  an  adept.  In  the  wagon  were 
stored  our  few  household  goods  and  scanty  supply  of 
provisions,  and  in  it  rode  my  wife  and  mother.  My 
brother  and  myself  figured  as  a  mounted  guard,  and 
presented  a  not  unpicturesque  appearance  in  our  tunics 
of  dressed  deerskin,  and  leggings  of  the  same  mate 
rial  ;  our  revolvers  in  our  belts,  and  rifles  slung  over 
our  shoulder,  or  resting  on  the  pommels  of  our  Mexi 
can  saddles.  Everything  seemed  propitious;  the 
wagon  moved  off  smoothly,  the  morning  was  clear, 
and  the  great  red  disc  of  the  sun  just  rising  in  the 
east  had  scarcely  dispelled  the  haze  that  enveloped 
nature  as  in  a  fleecy  mantle.  We  little  dreamed,  alas, 
of  the  dreadful  fate  soon  to  overtake  us.  That  fate 
which  was  to  dissever  a  loving  and  united  family, 
causing  three  of  its  members  to  pass  through  the  val 
ley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  and  subjecting  the  surviv 
ors  to  suffering  that  often  made  them  cry  out  in  the 
bitterness  of  their  hearts  "  why  was  I  spared  to  suffer 
such  torture,  when  death  would  have  been  such  a 
welcome  relief  1 " 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    CAPTURE. 

E  were  now  fairly  started  on  our  journey,  and 
but  for  a  singular  feeling  of  depression  which 
weighed  down  my  spirits  and  seemed  a  presenti 
ment  of  evil  to  come,  I  should  have  had  little 
doubt  of  our  ability  to  overtake  the  train  and  travel 
safely  with  it  to  our  destination.  This  feeling,  how 
ever,  caused  me  to  become  taciturn  and  apprehensive, 
so  much  so,  that  I  was  frequently  rallied  upon  the 
subject  by  my  companions. 

For  many  days,  however,  we  followed  the  trail 
without  special  incident ;  the  tracks  of  wagons  giving 
us  an  easy  guide.  We  found  grass,  wood  and  water 
in  abundance,  and  traveling  light  and  unimpeded  by 
others,  felt  confident  that  we  were  gaining  upon  the 
train  and  would  undoubtedly  overtake  them  shortly. 
We  crossed  several  rivers  and  streams,  most  of 
them  fordable,  but  one  or  two  we  found  wide  and 
deep  and  were  compelled  to  float  our  wagon  across. 
We  saw  some  game,  antelopes  and  deer,  and  shot  a 
few,  forming  a  welcome  addition  to  our  larder ;  but 
they-  were  generally  shy  and  kept  out  of  reach,  with- 


14 

out  wandering  too  far  from  the  track.  For  two  dayv 
we  had  been  journeying  through  an  entirely  differ 
ent  country  from  that  which  we  had  passed.  It  was 
almost  a  barren  desert,  treeless,  without  game,  and, 
but  little  water  ;  on  its  hard  surface  the  wagon  wheels 
made  scarcely  an  imprint,  and  it  was  with  the  great 
est  difficulty  that  we  could  take  up  the  trail.  The 
evening  of  the  second  day  found  us  still  on  the  road, 
as  we  could  h'nd  no  water,  without  which  we  could 
not  camp.  Before  sunset  we  had  noticed  a  low  fringe 
along  the  horizon  which  looked  like  timber,  and 
knowing  there  must  be  water  there,  determined  to 
push  on  and  reach  it,  if  possible,  before  camping  for 
the  night. 

After  a  weary  march  we  reached  the  edge  of 
the  desert  plain,  and  found  a  small  stream,  clear  but 
shallow ;  its  banks  lined  with  tall  cottonwood  trees. 
Here  we  rested,  and  our  tired  animals  fully  appre 
ciated  the  cool  water  and  the  luxuriant  "  gramma " 
grass  which  abounded.  * 

While  standing  watch,  a  precaution  we  never 
neglected,  I  fancied  I  heard  a  distant  rifle  shot,  and 
roused  my  father  and  brother,  fearing  Indians  might 
be  near  at  hand,  for  we  were  now  in  very  dangerous 
country,  and  father  declared  that  he  had  seen  "  In 
jun  sign  "  the  day  previous,  but  a  scout  through  the 
cottonwood  grove  revealed  nothing,  and  as  the  sound 
was  very  faint  and  was  not  repeated,  we  concluded 
it  was  only  fancy ;  father  muttering  as  he  crawled 


15 

under  his  blanket  that  I  was  getting  too  almighty 
scarey  for  a  backwoodsman. 

This  incident  however  aroused  those  apprehensive 
feelings  that  had  before  troubled  ine,  but  which  had 
been  quieted  for  a  time  by  the  uneventful  nature  of 
our  journey.  We  were  not  again  disturbed  that 
night,  but  at  sunrise  we  made  a  discovery  that 
tilled  us  with  dismay —  We  had  lost  tJ^e  trail  !  This 
we  were  convinced  was  the  result  of  our  night  jour 
ney,  and  father  was  confident  that  we  could  recover 
it ;  but,  when  after  several  hours  spent  in  a  fruitless 
endeavor  to  find  where  it  crossed  the  stream,  I  urged 
that  we  should  take  our  own  trail  back  to  the  point 
at  which  it  diverged  from  that  of  the  train,  he  posi 
tively  refused  to  do  so ;  declaring  that  he  wasn't  a 
greenhorn  to  get  scared  at  so  small  a  matter,  and  that 
he  should  push  on  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  and 
take  his  chance  of  intersecting  the  trail,  he  asserting 
that  we  must  have  strayed  to  northward  of  it. 
l\Iy  brother  and  myself  protested  against  so  rash  an  un 
dertaking,  but  in  vain ;  and  we  finally  started  on  what 
was  destined  to  be  our  last  day's  journey  together. 

Our  route  now  lay  across  a  verdant  and  apparently 
boundless  prairie.  Far  as  the  eye  could  reach  it  was 
a  level  plain,  without  landmarks,  trackless  as  the  sea, 
covered  with  a  living  carpet  of  emerald  green.  At 
another  time  I  could  have  spent  hours  in  gazing  upon 
its  vast  expanse,  and  fancying  its  changed  appearance 
when  its  surface  should  be  furrowed  by  the  plow  and 


16 

its  fruitful  soil  reward  the  fanner's  labor;  but  the 
presentiment  of  evil  which  I  found  it  impossible  to 
shake  off,  oppressed  my  spirits  rendering  -  me  anxious 
and  fearful. 

A  few  moments  took  us  out  of  sight  of  the  cotton- 
wood  grove,  and  but  for  the  aid  of  father's  pocket 
compass  we  could  have  had  little  idea  of  our  direction, 
but  by  its  assistance  we  traveled  steadily  in  a  south 
westerly  course,  father  being  confident  that  we  had 
strayed  north  of  the  trail  and  that  by  taking  this 
course  we  must  sooner  or  later  regain  it.  Until  nearly 
noon  we  kept  steadily  on,  seeing  nothing  to  indicate 
that  we  were  near  the  trail.  Just  before  noon  we 
halted  to  rest  and  feed  the  animals  and  prepare  a  meal 
for  ourselves. 

The  morning  had  been  sultry  and  we  were  all  suffi 
ciently  fatigued  to  find  a  brief  rest  very  acceptable. 
Refreshed  by  half  an  hour's  rest,  we  were  preparing 
to  start,  when  my  brother  who  had  moved  off  in  ad 
vance,  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  father's  right  after  all, 
there  are  mounted  men  ahead,  it  must  be  the  train  !  " 
Animated  by  the  hope  that  our  solitary  wanderings 
were  nearly  over  and  our  perils  past,  we  pushed  ahead, 
urging  our  animals  forward  with  all  possible  speed. 

The  distant  horsemen  were  moving  parallel  to  our 
route,  and  apparently  had  not  perceived  us.  We 
shouted  and  fired  our  rifles,  a  commotion  was  visible 
among  them,  they  halted,  wheeled,  and  a  number  sud 
denly  galloped  towards  us  with  the  speed  of  the 


17 

wind.  My  brother,  who  had  ridden  far  ahead  of  us 
swinging  his  cap  and  hallooing  loudly,  suddenly  pull 
ed  up  his  horse  and  with  a  cry  of  terror  rode  back  to 
us  with  his  utmost  speed.  We  were  not  long  at  a  loss 
to  understand  the  meaning  of  this  proceeding ;  as  he 
neared  us  his  warning  shout  of  Indians !  Indians ! 
was  borne  to  us  upon  the  breeze.  But  it  needed  not 
that  to  apprise  us  of  our  peril ;  ere  he  reached  us  the 
advancing  horsemen  had  approached  so  near  that  we 
could  plainly,  see  instead  of  the  friends  we  sought,  a 
horde  of  hideous  savages,  naked  to  the  waist,  besmear 
ed  with  war  paint  in  many  strange  devices,-  their  tall 
lances  waving,  their  ornaments  glittering  in  the  sun 
— on,  on  they  came,  giving  vent  to  the  most  blood 
curdling  yells  it  had  ever  been  my  fortune  to  hear. 

In  this  desperate  strait  my  father  alone  preserved 
his  coolness;  the  warlike  spirit  of  the  old  frontiers 
man  was  roused  in  an  instant.  With  lightning-like 
rapidity  he  had  unhitched  his  team  and  so  disposed 
them  with  our  horses  and  the  wagon  as  to  form  a  sort 
of  square,  the  horses  and  mules  were  tied  together 
and  to  the  wagon,  thus  avoiding  the  danger  of  thei. 
being  stampeded.  Inside  this  square  we  placed  our 
selves,  and  levelling  our  riHes  across  the  backs  of  our 
living  bulwark  awaited  the  attack.  My  poor  mother 
and  wife,  terrified  almost  to  the  verge  of  insensibility, 
we  compelled  to  lie  down  in  the  bottom  of  the 
wagon,  and  so  arranged  its  cargo  as  to  protect  them 
from  any  stray  shot  which  might  strike  it. 


18 

At  first  it  seemed  that  the  savages  intended  to  ride 
ns  down  by  sheer  force  of  numbers,  which  they  might 
easily  have  done  ;  but  our  determined  aspect  and  cho 
three  shining  tubes  aimed  at  them,  each  ready  to  send 
forth  its  leaden  messenger  of  death,  evidently  changed 
their  determination  ;  for  before  getting  within  range, 
their  headlong  gallop  became  a  moderate  lope,  then  a 
walk,  and  they  finally  halted  altogether.  A  short 
council  followed,  during  which  we  had  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  observe  our  foes,  and  concert  our  plans 
for  defence.  Father  cautioned  us  to  hold  our  fire  un 
til  absolutely  certain  of  our  mark,  and  that,  if  possi 
ble,  but  one  must  fire  at  a  time,  as  it  was  of  the  ut 
most  importance  to  be  prepared  for  a  sudden  dash. 
"We  examined  the  loading  of  our  rifles  and  pistols,  put 
on  fresh  caps,  and  with  wildly  beating  hearts  and  nerves 
strained  to  their  utmost  tension,  awaited  the  onslaught. 

Our  enemies  now  seemed  to  have  arrived  at  some 
determination,  for  their  consultation  was  at  an  end — 
an  old  Indian  who,  from  his  dignified  bearing  and  au 
thoritative  manner  appeared  to  be  their  chief,  made  a 
sign  with  his  hand,  and  spoke  a  few  words  in  a  loud 
tone.  The  incessant  jabbering  which  they  had  kept 
up  from  the  moment  they  halted  instantly  ceased,  and 
one  after  another  a  number  of  young  warriors,  per 
haps  twenty,  rode  out  in  single  file  upon  the  prairie. 
After  gaining  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  yards 
from  the  main  body  they  increased  the  intervals  sepa 
rating  them  to  some  fifty  paces,  and  then  inclining  tho 


19 

course  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  half  circle,  they  increased 
their  speed  and  came  on  with  the  evident  intention  of 
circling  round  us. 

These  inanreuvres  had  not  escaped  our  notice,  but 
neiti  er  my  brother  nor  myself  understood  their  import. 
That  my  father  did  so,  however,  was  evident. 

"  Surround  !  "  he  muttered,  the  instant  the  move 
ment  began.  "  I  thought  they'd  try  it,  blame  their 
ugly  picters."  "  Xow  boys,"  he  continued,  "  keep 
cool  and  keep  your  eyes  skinned,  don't  throw  away  a 
shot,  and  don't  fire  'till  I  give  the  word."  lie  then 
explained  the  method  of  this  peculiar  stratagem  of 
Indian  warfare.  The  twenty  picked  men  were  about 
to  ride  around  us  in  a  circle,  at  top  speed,  delivering 
flights  of  arrows  as  they  passed,  their  object  being  to 
disconcert  us  and  draw  our  fire ;  our  guns  once  empty, 
the  main  body  whom  we  observed  held  themselves  in 
readiness,  would  ride  in,  and  by  a  sudden  dash,  end 
the  skirmish  by  our  death  or  captivity. 

Father's  warning  was  delivered  in  far  less  time  than 
it  has  taken  to  write  this — and  it  was  barely  concluded 
before  the  attacking  party  were  circling  round  us,  ut 
tering  their  vengeful  war  cries,  and  gradually  drawing 
nearer  and  nearer.  Standing  back  to  back,  we  watched 
their  every  movement,  my  brother  and  myself  expect 
ing  every  moment  to  have  an  opportunity  to  tumble 
one  or  more  of  the  bold  riders  from  their  horses ; 
but  a  few  seconds  showed  us  the  futility  of  this.  As 
they  came  within  range,  each  Indian  disappeared  le- 


hind  the  lody  of  his  horse.  A  hand  grasping  the  with 
ers  of  the  horse,  and  a  foot  just  showing-  above  his 
back,  were  all  that  could  be  seen — perhaps  a  painted 
face  would  be  seen  for  an  instant  under  the  horse's 
neck,  but  instantly  disappearing — while  the  hiss  of  an 
arrow  would  tell  that  the  rider  had  sped  the  shaft  to 
its  mark  ;  the  horse  all  the  while  going  at  full  gallop. 
At  no  moment  could  any  one  of  us  have  fired  with  any 
chance  of  hitting  an  Indian.  The  horses  we  could 
have  shot  without  difficulty,  but  this  was  just  what 
our  enemies  wanted.  Could  they  but  induce  us  to 
waste  our  fire  upon  the  horses,  we  would  soon  be  at  their 
mercy.  So,  with  an  effort,  we  restrained  our  inclina 
tion  to  risk  a  shot,  and  watche£  their  every  movement 
with  the  cat-like  vigilance  of  men  who  knew  that 
their  lives  were  trembling  in  the  balance. 

Hound  and  round  went  the  circle  of  the  hunt,  flight 
after  flight  of  arrows  whistled  past  us,  or  spent  their 
force  against  the  wagon,  still  we  were  unharmed ;  al 
though  our  escapes  were  narrow  and  incessant.  The 
mules  and  horses  were  struck  repeatedly,  but  so  tightly 
were  they  bound  together  with  leathern  thongs  that 
not  even  death  could  separate  them.  As  our  torment 
ors  came  around  for  the  fifth  time,  one  of  the  horses 
stumbled  and  fell  and  rolled  completely  over,  pitch 
ing  his  rider  headlong  upon  the  prairie.  Before  he 
could  regain  his  horse,  father's  rifle  cracked  and  the 
unlucky  equestrian  rolled  prone  upon  the  ground  with 
a  bulbt  in  his  brain. 


21 

"That's  one  less,"  muttered  father,  grimly.  "I 
thought  I'd  fetch  ye,  ye  painted  varmint."  "  Don't 
fire  for  your  lives,  boys,"  he  continued,  "  'till  I'm 
loaded."  They  were  the  last  words  he  ever  uttered. 
Simultaneously  with  their  utterance  came  the  hiss  of 
an  Indian  arrow,  and  with  a  deep  groan  he  Bank  to 
the  ground.  Terror  stricken,  and  with  anguished 
hearts  we  raised  him  in  our  arms.  Alas,  the  deadly 
aim  had  been  too  true ;  the  shaft,  entering  his  right 
eye  had  penetrated  the  brain,  and  we  saw  at  a  glanco 
that  our  dear  father  was  no  more.  Racked  by  con 
tending  emotions,  we  had  almost  forgotten  our  immi 
nent  peril ;  as  we  turned  to  confront  the  foe,  we  saw 
tli at  our  hesitation  had  been  fatal ;  the  red  warriors 
were  upon  us  like  a  living  tide,  and  for  a  few  seconds 
a  wild  melee  followed ;  we  battled  hand  to  hand  with 
the  desperation  of  fiends ;  it  was  but  for  an  instant ; 
my  brave  brother  fell  covered  with  wounds,  and  hia 
death  shriek  was  still  ringing  in  my  ears,  when  I  re 
ceived  a  blow  upon  the  head  which  stretched  me  sense 
less  upon  the  ground.  I  seemed  to  experience  the 
sensation  of  falling  from  a  vast  height,  then  came  a 
sudden  shock  and  all  was  blank. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A    STRANGE   ADVENTURE. 

consciousness  returned,  I  found  myself 
lying  on  the  ground,  tied  hand  and  foot  with 
thongs  of  buffalo  hide ;  I  felt  very  eore  and 
intensely  thirsty.  I  had  not  quite  yet  collected 
my  senses,  and  when  my  mind  reverted  to  the  scenes 
I  had  but  just  passed  through,  it  was  with  a  sickening 
sense  of  their  horror  that  made  me  yearn  for  insensi 
bility  again.  If  I  could  only  know  what  had  been 
done  with  my  wife  ;  had  she  met  the  same  fate  as  my 
father  and  brother,  or  was  she  spared — spared,  and 
for  what — to  be  subjected  to  a  captivity  even  worse 
than  death,  perhaps  ?  It  would  have  been  a  great  re 
lief  to  have  moved  even  so  much  as  a  finger,  but  being 
bound  so  tightly  it  was  impossible  to  stir,  and  the 
thongs  had  in  a  great  measure  impeded  tiie  circula 
tion,  so  that  as  I  lay  on  my  back,  gazing  pathetically 
at  my  feet,  it  seemed  as  if  they  were  the  appendages 
of  another  person,  and  that  my  tortures  had  be 
gun  by  my  being  deprived  of  all  that  part  of  my 
body  below  my  knees.  By  dint  of  much  turning,  I 
managed  to  get  myself  partly  on  my  side,  which 


23 

proved  a  great  relief,  besides  affording  an  opportunity 
to  look  around  me  and  gain  an  idea  of  the  state  of 
affairs. 

Day  was  just  breaking,  and  ray  captors  were,  with 
the  exception  of  the  sentinel,  asleep.  We  were  on  the 
prairie,  and  I  at  once  concluded  that  we  must  have 
left  the  scene  of  the  fight  and  capture ;  a  small  fire 
had  been  built,  and  the  warrior  who  mounted 
guard  was  sitting  with  his  legs  crossed  beneath  him, 
seemingly  gazing  into  the  smouldering  embers ;  there 
was  just  enough  light  to  discern  his  features,  and  I 
shuddered  at  their  repulsiveness ;  the  hideous  war 
paint  was  streaked  most  fantastically  across  his  cheeks 
and  forehead  and  over  his  body,  for,  with,  the  excep 
tion  of  a  pair  of  abbreviated  leggings  he  was  quite 
nude.  His  scalp-lock  was  adorned  with  a  profusion 
of  eagles'  feathers,  and  his  wrists  and  arms  were  set 
off  with  bracelets.  Dangling  from  his  girdle  was  an 
object  that  thrilled  me  with  anguish,  as  the  long  white 
hair  covered  here  and  there  with  dark  red  splashes,  I 
knew  at  once  to  be  the  scalp  of  my  dear,  murdered 
mother.  I  had  read  of  the  noble  red  man,  and  like  most 
romantic  people,  conceived  a  very  touching  picture  of 
his  manly  beauty  and  majestic  air.  One  needs  but  to 
be  among  them  to  have  any  such  illusion  dispelled. 
In  my  long  residence  with  the  tribe,  I  found  some 
admirable  traits,  of  which  I  will  speak  anon,  but  they 
had  so  many  counterbalancing  vices,  that  I  do  not 
think  their  best  friends  can  say  anything  in  their  praise. 


24 

This  book  is  a  true  narrative  of  my  capture  and 
sufferings,  and  if  my  readers  do  not  find  running 
through  these  pages,  that  sentimental  gush  about  the 
noble  red  man,  that  we  have  been  taught  to  believe 
was  as  much  their  attribute  as  they  considered  scalp 
ing  their  prerogative,  it  is  because  I  have  been  dis 
abused  of  these  ideas,  by  the  stem  reality  of  an  ex 
istence  among  them.  I  trust  this  digression  will  bo 
excused,  but  when  I  stroke  my  chin,  and  feel  the 
traces  of  their  delicate  attentions,  my  feelings  are 
apt  to  get  the  better  of  my  desire  to  entertain. 

Soon,  however,  the  camp  was  stirring,  and  my  friend 
at  the  fire  roused  himself  and  advanced  toward  me ; 
whipping  out  a  knife  from  %its  sheath,  he  cut  tho 
thongs  by  which  I  was  bound,  and  grasping  my 
shoulder  jerked  me  to  an  upright  position  and  motion 
ed  me  to  follow  him.  I  had  not  proceeded  far,  when, 
emerging  from  the  coppice  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  bivouac,  I  beheld  my  wife  advancing  towards  me 
in  the  custody  of  an  Indian.  Reader,  if  you  can  im 
agine  meeting  the  being  you  loved  best,  after  having 
supposed  her  cruelly  butchered,  you  may  have  a 
faint  conception  of  my  feelings.  With  a  little  cry  of 
joy  she  rushed  into  my  outstretched  arms;  sobbing 
like  an  infant.  This  demonstration  of  affection  seem 
ed  not  to  the  taste  of  our  guards  ;  and  with  an  ugh, 
we  were  admonished  to  follow  them,  and  we  were 
soon  in  the  midst  of  a  group  who  were  dispatching 
their  breakfast.  Food  was  offered  us,  of  which  I  ato 


25 

voraeioTifil y,  after  my  long  fast ;  not  so  my  wife,  how 
ever,  who  could  not  as  yet  accustom  her  palate  to  the 
dried  buffalo  meat. 

Meantime  preparations  had  been  making  to  resume 
our  journey.  The  horses  were  brought  up,  and  in  a 
shorter  time  than  it  takes  to  relate  it  we  were  under 
way,  the  party  moving  oS  in  single  file.  I  was  allow 
ed  to  ride  my  own  horse,  my  wife  following  behind 
rne  on  one  of  the  mules.  "We  were,  as  near  as  I  could 
judge,  about  the  centre  of  the  party.  In  this  fashion 
we  proceeded  during  the  forenoon.  The  prairie  at 
this  point  was  a  succession  of  gentle  undulations, 
covered  with  a  rich  velvety  verdure  ;  and,  had  not  my 
present  circumstances  been  of  such  a  depressing  char 
acter,  the  scene  would  have  been  inspiriting.  Away 
to  the  far  west,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  this  vast 
billowy  plain  extended,  broken  here  and  there  by  a 
grove  of  the  stately  cottonwood  tree,  whose  long 
trunks,  and  silvery  foliage  was  a  pleasing  contrast  to 
the  vivid  green  of  the  prairie.  At  intervals  I  had 
discerned  dark  objects  on  the  horizon,  but,  being  un 
accustomed  to  note  signs  with  that  care  and  attention 
that  is  characteristic  of  those  whose  life  is  spent  on 
the  plains,  I  had  paid  no  particular  attention  to  them. 
Soon,  however,  I  did  observe  a  commotion  at  the 
head  of  the  column,  and  after  a  brief  halt  and  consul 
tation  among  the  chiefs,  our  speed  was  accelerated, 
and  we  struck  into  a  canter.  This  "lope"  as  it  is 
called,  seems  to  be  a  gait  peculiarly  adapted  to  the 


26 

mustang,  as  they  will  break  into,  and  keep  it  up  the 
entire  day ;  evincing  no  more  distress  than  our  or 
dinary  horse  does  in  trotting  leisurely. 

That  something  important  was  about  to  trans 
pire,  I  felt  certain,  from  the  energetic  way  in  which 
our  captors  spoke  and  gesticulated ;  I  was  not  long 
left  in  doubt,  as  on  reaching  a  slight  eminence,  a 
sight  disclosed  itself  that  I  shall  never  forget ; 
and  my  blood  thrills  even  now  with  the  remem 
brance  of  niy  first  buffalo  hunt. 

It  may  seem  odd  to  talk  of  my  first  buffalo  hunt, 
as  the  question  would  naturally  be  asked,  how  could 
a  prisoner  participate  in  a  hunt ;  the  sequel  will 
explain.  4  % 

The  chiefs  had  halted,  and  the  rear  coining 
up,  we  were  soon  clustered  in  a  group  on  this  rising 
ground.  Directly  in  front  of  us,  at  the  distance  of 
about  three  miles,  I  should  judge,  was  an  immense 
herd  of  buffaloes.  The  plain  was  positively  black,  so 
numerous  were  they.  All  unconscious  of  their  foes, 
they  were  quietly  grazing,  while  here  and  there  a 
watchful  old  bull  seemed  to  have  stationed  himself  as 
an  outpost,  being  in  readiness,  if  needs  were,  to  in 
stantly  .communicate  the  signal  of  danger  to  the  herd. 
It  was  a  glorious  sight ;  even  the  horses  shared  in  the 
excitement,  and  evinced  as  great  a  desire  to  partici 
pate  in  the  hunt  as  did  their  masters.  Presently  a 
warrior  rode  out  from  the  main  body  a  few  paces  and 
tossed  the  feather.  This  is  done  to  note  the  direction 


27 

of  the  wind,  for  such  is  the  keenness  of  scent  possess 
ed  by  these  animals,  that  they  will  take  the  alarm  and 
become  aware  of  the  approach  of  an  enemy  at  great 
distances.  If  the  drove  had  discovered  us  at  this  dis 
tance,  our  visions  of  fresh  hump  steak  for  supper 
would  have  resolved  themselves  into  the  dried  meat 
of  the  morning. 

The  wind  being  favorable,  we  commenced  the  ad 
vance  ;  slowly  at  first,  but  gradually  increasing  our 
speed,  until  the  horses  were  straining  every  muscle  in 
their  headlong  race.  Lances  were  slung,  and  bows 
and  arrows  got  in  readiness  with  an  ease  and  expert- 
ness  that  was  truly  wonderful,  considering  our  rapid 
riding.  The  bridles  were  dropped  on  the  necks  of  the 
mustangs,  the  riders  using  their  knees  both  as  a  steer 
ing  apparatus  and  a  means  of  holding  on.  As  near  as 
I  could  understand,  our  guard  was  to  keep  as  close  to 
the  hunters  as  was  consistent  with  our  safety,  without 
joining  in  the  fun.  Everything  went  on  smoothly, 
and  we  had  approached  to  within  a  half  mile  of  the 
herd  before  they  noticed  us.  Soon,  however,  the  old 
bulls  scented  the  party,  arid  with  a  snort  and  plunge 
they  tore  headlong  towards  the  head  of  the  drove, 
communicating  the  alarm  as  they  ran.  "With  a  yell 
the  savages  dashed  on,  horse  and  rider  worked  up  to 
the  highest  pitch  of  excitement ;  arrows  began  to  fly, 
and  here  and  there  a  cow  would  fall,  or  an  enraged 
bull  goaded  to  fury  by  a  wound  rush  madly  at  his 
enemy,  evidently  bent  on  revenge  of  a  most  sanguin- 


28 

ary  character.  Our  little  party  kept  on  the  flank  of 
the  advancing  drove,  and  our  escort  seemed  to  find  it 
very  irksome  doing  duty  as  guards,  as  with  oft-re 
peated  ughs!  plainly  expressive  of  disgust,  they  de 
precated  the  luck  that  had  singled  tliem  out  to  per 
form  such  womanly  duty. 

Suddenly,  and  with  kaleidoscopic  rapidity,  the  as 
pect  of  affairs  was  changed ;  for  some  unknown  rea 
son  and  without  apparent  cause,  the  buffaloes  made  a 
flank  movement,  and  in  a  twinkling  were  dashing 
right  toward  us ;  the  mustangs,  warned  by  experi 
ence,  turned  and  ran  as  if  their  lives  were  at  stake,  as 
they  certainly  were  ;  and  the  mule  on  which  my  wife 
was  mounted,  with  an  imitation  that  did  her  great 
credit,  followed  their  example.  My  horse,  being  un 
used  to  such  scenes,  seemed  to  lose  his  senses,  and 
stood  looking  at  the  advancing  animals  in  the  most 
abject  terror.  Kealizingat  a  glance  my  position,  and 
feeling  that  instant  action  was  demanded,  I  turned 
his  head,  and  by  word  and  heel  urged  him  to  run. 
On  came  these  black  brutes,  sweeping  over  the 
ground  like  an  animated  hurricane.  My  poor  horse 
was  laboring  fearfully,  and  I  knew  that  our  destruc 
tion  was  a  matter  of  a  few  moments  time  only.  Sud 
denly  my  horse  stumbled  and  flung  me  headlong  to 
the  ground,  then  all  was  bewilderment.  I  have  an 
indistinct  notion  of  lying  on  the  prairie,  and  then  like 
a  great  black  wave,  this  surging  mass  of  buffaloes 
Beein  to  hover  over  me ;  I  was  conscious  of  a  sharp 


29 

and  severe  pain  in  my  side,  and  then  of  being  sud 
denly  lifted  into  space.  When  sufficiently  collected 
to  note  my  position.  I  found  myself  on  the  back  of  ^ 
huge  buffalo  bull,  who,  unaccustomed  to  this  strange 
weight,  was  making  frantic  endeavors  to  clear  hirn- 
gelf  of  the  herd,  which  were  wedged  together  witli 
as  much  compactness  as  if  they  were  one  animal.  If 
I  had  chosen  to  fall  to  the  ground,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  do  so ;  but  as  such  a  feat  would  have 
been  almost  instant  death,  my  readers  will  easily  un 
derstand  I  had  no  intention  of  trying  the  experiment. 
I  turned  by  attention  exclusively  to  seating  myself 
firmly  on  my  novel  steed,  and  grasping  my  hands  into 
the  shaggy  hair  which  covered  his  shoulders,  braced 
myself  for  the  most  thrilling  ride  I  had  ever  experi 
enced.  After  a  few  violent  plunges  the  bull  cleared 
the  herd,  and  tore  at  tremendous  speed ;  on,  on  until 
objects  lost  their  character,  and  all  seemed  to  be  an 
indistinct  haze.  The  buffalo  had  by  this  time  carried 
me  some  distance  from  the  main  body,  and  was  be 
ginning  to  show  signs  of  fatigue.  If  I  was  going  to 
leave  him,  this  was  my  opportunity ;  and  quietly 
loosening  my  hold,  I  slipped  off  his  rump  on  to  the 
ground,  and  betook  myself  in  an  opposite  direction  as 
fast  as  I  could  go,  and  it  was  with  feelings  of  relief 
and  thankfulness  that  I  had  escaped  so  luckily  from 
my  first  and  only  buffalo  ride. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AGAIN   A   PRISONER. 

OOTSOKE  and  weary  I  wandered  over  the 
prairie,  straining  my  eyes  in  every  direction  in 
the  vain  hope  of  beholding  the  white-topped 
wagons  of  the  train.  My  late  involuntary  jour 
ney  had  borne  me  far  to  the  southward ;  and,  although 
my  rapid  progress  had  given  me  but  little  opportunity 
for  observation,  still  I  was  convinced  that  the  direc 
tion  in  which  I  had  traveled  was  likely  to  bring  me 
in  the  track  of  the  prairie  caravans.  I  was  not  with 
out  apprehension  of  again  falling  in  with  my  late 
captors,  and  hardly  knew  whether  I  dreaded  or  de 
sired  it ;  fully  realizing  that  I  had  nothing  to  look 
forward  to  in  that  event  bui  torture  and  death.  Still 
I  felt  that  to  see  once  again  the  sweet  face  of  my  be 
loved  I  would  risk  every  peril,  even  though  I  was  help- 
less  to  aid  her,  and  to  witness  her  sufferings  would  only 
add  to  the  poignant  anguish  that  tortured  me.  Racked 
by  these  thoughts,  and  with  a  despairing  heart,  I  walked 
steadily  on.  The  day  was  now  far  spent,  and  I  was  be 
ginning  to  experience  the  pangs  of  hunger,  for  I  had 
eaten  nothing  since  early  morning ;  but  I  suffered  far 


31 

more  from  thirst,  and  for  hours  scarshsty^igerly  for 
water ;  scanning  the  horizon  in  every  direction  for  a 
sight  of  the  fringe-like  foliage,  of  the  cotton- wood 
trees.  Stiff  and  sore  from  rny  confinement  of  the 
night  previous,  and  suffering  intensely  from  the  wound 
on  my  head,  which  had  been  entirely  neglected,  my 
progress  grew  slower,  and  when  night  settled  over  the 
prairie  my  search  was  still  unsuccessful ;  and  without 
food,  water,  or  shelter,  I  sank  exhausted  to  the  earth. 
After  a  time  sleep  gave  me  a  welcome  oblivion ;  but 
my  rest  was  disturbed  by  troubled  dreams,  and  the 
dawn  found  me  but  little  refreshed. 

It  was  barely  daylight  when  I  again  started.  I  felt 
weak  and  dizzy  ;  and  the  conviction,  forced  itself  up 
on  me  that  1  must  find  food  and  water  before  many 
hours,  or  perish — my  life  depended  on  my  finding 
water — and  notwithstaading  my  intense  suffering,  it 
was  absolutely  necessary  to  push  forward  in  my  search. 
My  thoughts  were  momentarily  diverted  by  a  number 
of  graceful  animals  that  were  advancing  towards  me ; 
when  within  about  two  hundred  yards,  they  became 
affrighted  and  wheeling  around  scampered  away,  run 
ning  toward  a  clump  of  trees  not  far  distant ;  entering 
this  grove,  they  disappeared  from  sight.  I  had  heard 
many  talcs  about  this  gracef>il  little  animal,  the  ante 
lope  ;  and  among  other  things  remembered,  that  to 
the  weary  and  thirsty  hunter  traversing  these  bound 
less  plains,  their  presence  was  a  sure  indication  that 
water  was  not  far  distant;  if  these  tales  were  time, 


32 

why  then  tb  3  waa  every  probability  that  I  might 
slake  my  burning  thirst,  which  now  had  become  ag 
onizing  torture,  from  some  rivulet  within  the  recesses 
of  that  wood  ;  animated  by  this  thought  I  limped  on 
with  renewed  energy.  What  had  seemed  so  near  to 
my  vision  was  in  reality  quite  distant,  as  I  found  in 
my  endeavor  to  reach  it ;  for  the  sun  had  begun  to 
decline  behind  the  horizon  when  I  reached  the  belt 
of  timber.  Entering  this  leafy  solitude,  I  had  not 
advanced  many  steps  when  my  ears  were  gladdened  by 
the  sound  of  running  water.  With  an  exclamation  of 
joy  I  ran  to  the  banks  of  the  arroyo  (as  by  this  name 
these  little  streams  are  called),  and,  falling  on  my 
knees,  was  drinking  with  that*,  intense  eagerness  that 
is  known  only  by  those  who,  like  myself,  have  felt  the 
delirium  of  thirst. 

I  was  about  to  rise  refreshed,  when  my  gaze  was 
riveted  by  a  reflected  image  on  the  bosom  of  the 
creek  that  curdled  the  blood  in  my  veins,  and  para 
lyzed  inc  with  terror  ;  it  was  the  image  of  a  hideous 
Indian,  bending  over  me  with  uplifted  hand  grasping 
a  long,  gleaming  knife.  I  jumped  up  with  a  terrified 
scream,  only  to  find  myself  in  the  rough  grasp  of  a 
brawny  savage,  and  completely  at  his  mercy.  With 
a  malicious  leer  he  motioned  me  to  accompany  him. 
Peeb'ng  sick  at  heart,  and  drooping  under  the  weight 
of  my  new  misfortune,  I  was  led  through  the  tangled 
undergrowth,  and  after  a  walk  of  about  fifteen  min 
utes,  we  emerged  into  a  small  clearing,  where  I 


33 

found  myself  in  the  midst  of  a  large  party  of  Indians. 
My  advent  created  no  little  excitement,  and  I  was  soon 
the  centre  of  a  circle  of  curious  savages,  who  were 
more  persistent  than  pleasing  in  their  attentions.  I 
saw  at  once  that  I  had  again  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
the  same  party  by  whom  I  was  first  captured ;  for 
among  those  who  clustered  around  me,  I  recognized 
the  old  chief  who  had  directed  the  attack  upon  us. 
He  approached  me  in  a  menacing  manne-r,  and  utter 
ed  some  words  in  the  Indian  tongue.  From  his  ges 
tures  I  could  guess  at  his  meaning,  and  understood 
that  he  was  threatening  me  for  my  supposed  attempt 
to  escape.  He  then  gave  some  order,  and  I  was  in 
stantly  seized  and  conducted  to  the  foot  of  a  large 
tree  ;  my  guards  then  bound  me  with  a  lariat  and  left 
me  to  my  own  reflections. 

My  first  thought  was  of  my  wife ;  and  as  I  had 
managed  to  place  myself  in  a  sitting  posture  against 
the  tree,  I  was  enabled  to  observe  all  that  was  passing, 
and  to  scan  closely  the  groups  around  the  camp  fires. 
A  few  moments  satisfied  me  that  if  in  the  camp,  she 
was  not  visible ;  and  left  me  a  prey  to  many  horrid 
imaginings. 

The  savages  were  mostly  seated  around  the  fires, 
roasting  meat  over  the  embers  and  eating  it  greedily, 
an  occupation  of  which  they  never  seemed  to  tire ; 
some  were  renewing  the  paint  upon  their  bodies,  and 
the  grotesque  striping  and  mottling  showed  in  fantas 
tic  hues  in  the  red  and  glaring  light ;  some  were 


34: 

smoking  curious  looking  pipes  of  carved  stones ;  all 
were  chattering,  laughing  ari5  •  gesticulating  like  so 
many  children.  For  a  brief  period  I  contemplated 
this  wild  scene  with  interest ;  but  it  soon  grew  monot 
onous,  and  my  mind  painfully  reverted  to  my  peril 
ous  position. 

In  satisfying  the  greater  desire  for  water,  1  had  for  a 
time  forgotten  my  craving  for  food,  but  it  now  return 
ed  upon  me  with  redoubled  force.  The  Indians  had 
evidently  forgotten  that  even  prisoners  must  eat,  and 
I  concluded  that  it  was  best  to  call  their  attention  to 
my  necessities ;  by  a  shout  I  attracted  the  attention 
of  one  of  the  warriors  who  was  passing  near  me,  and 
when  ho  approached,  I  succeeded  by  gestures  in  mak 
ing  him  understand  my  wants.  Uttering  a  gutteral 
ugh  1  and  slapping  his  stomach  he  walked  away,  but 
returned  in  a  few  moments  with  a  huge  chunk  of  half 
cooked  buffalo  meat  which  he  threw  down  before  me, 
and  unbinding  my  hands  motioned  me  to  eat.  I  did 
not  need  a  second  invitation,  but  fell  to  at  once,  and 
devoured  it  with  such  voracity,  that  my  Indian  Mend 
seemed  both  astonished  and  amused.  When  I  had 
finished  he  brought  me  water  in  a  gourd,  and  again 
securing  my  hands,  bound  me  fast  to  the  tree  and  left 
me  once  more  to  myself. 

Fatigued  by  the  hardships  of  the  last  two  days,  I 
soon  fell  asleep,  and  knew  no  more  until  I  was 
awakened  by  a  rough  hand  grasping  my  shoulder,  and 
on  opening  my  eyes  saw  that  it  was  daybreak,  and 


35 

the  band  were  preparing  to  move.  Ten  minutes  later 
I  found  myself  mounted  on  a  wiry  looking  mustang, 
securely  tied,  and  my  horse  led  at  the  end  of  a  lariat 
by  the  same  Indian  who  had  brought  me  food  the 
evening  previous.  Looking  about  me,  my  eyes  were 
soon  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  my  wife,  mounted  be 
hind  an  Indian  warrior ;  she  saw  me  at  the  same  in 
stant,  and  with  a  cry  of  joy  strove  to  break  her  bonds 
and  rush  to  my  embrace  ;  it  was  a  vain  effort,  and 
only  resulted  in  her  receiving  a  blow  from  her  savage 
custodian,  which  cowed  her  into  silence.  My  feelings 
at  this  juncture  can  be  better  imagined  than  describ 
ed  ;  but  I  could  do  nothing  but  endure  as  best  I 
might,  and  hope  that  a  day  of  reckoning  would  yet 
come,  in  which  I  should  bitterly  avenge  all  the 
wrongs  I  had  experienced  at  the  hands  of  the  brutal 
savage,  called  in  books,  the  "  noble  red  man."  For 
the  present,  there  was  nothing  but  submission,  and 
hope. 

I  now  saw  to  my  surprise  that  we  were  not  alone 
in  our  misfortune,  many  other  captives,  principally 
women  and  children,  were  with  the  party.  From 
their  costume  I  saw  that  they  must  be  Mexicans,  and 
at  once  concluded  that  the  Indians  had  been  on  one 
of  their  periodical  raids  upon  the  Mexican  frontier, 
and  were  on  their  return  when  they  had  accidentally 
fallen  in  with  our  little  party.  Evidently  but  a  part 
of  the  band  had  taken  part  in  our  capture,  for  the  at 
tacking  party  were  less  than  one  hundred  in  number, 


36 

while  I  now  counted  over  four  hundred  warrior^ 
The  chances  of  escape  seemed  more  unlikely  than 
ever ;  and  my  heart  sank  as  I  observed  their  formid 
able  array. 

I  must  pass  briefly  over  the  incidents  of  our  jour 
ney  for  several  days  following.  We  passed  through 
a  widely  diversified  country,  and  in  spite  of  my  men 
tal  and  physical  sufferings,  I  was  greatly  interested  in 
its  strange  scenery.  We  passed  over  wide  stretches 
of  prairie,  dotted  here  and  there  by  mottes  of  timber, 
rising  like  islands  from  the  sea-like  plain ;  we  thread 
ed  tortuous  defiles  of  the  mountains ;  and  crawled, 
rather  than  rode,  through  terrific  cations,  whose  per 
pendicular  walls  of  many  colored  rock,  rising  to  the 
height  of  thousands  of  feet,  slirouded  the  narrow  pass 
in  majestic  gloom.  At  times  we  suffered  greatly  for 
food  and  water ;  making  one  stretch  of  sixty  miles 
across  the  desert,  and  reacliing  its  border  in  a  state  01 
utter  exhaustion. 

On  the  seventh  day  after  my  recapture  we  climbed 
a  low  mountain  range,  and  on  reaching  the  crest  saw 
before  us  a  deep  valley,  walled  in  on  every  side  by 
towering  cliffs  of  milk-white-quartz ;  its  surface  was 
level,  or  nearly  so  ;  through  its  centre  a  crystal  line 
indicated  the  presence  of  a  small  stream.  A  dense 
forest  of  pine  fringed  it  on  three  sides  ;  vast  herds  of 
horses  and  cattle  roamed  over  the  plain,  and  cropped 
its  luxuriant  herbage.  The  valley  was  elliptical  in 
form,  and  measured  perhaps  twelve  miles  in  length 


37 

. 

by  four  or  five  in  width ;  at  its  upper  extremity  a 
group  of  strange  looking  structures  were  visible,  of 
many  forms  and  sizes;  one  towering  far  above  the 
rest  had  the  appearance  of  a  huge  pyramid:  From 
the  joyful  exclamations  of  the  Indians  I  felt  confident 
that  our  journey  was  nearly  at  an  end.  The  tired 
mustangs  were  urged  forward,  and  half  an  hour  later 
we  entered  a  defile,  passed  round  the  face  of  the  cliff 
on  a  narrow  ledge  of  rock,  where  two  could  not  ride 
abreast,  and  emerged  upon  a  platform  from  whence 
an  easy  descent  led  to  the  plain  below.  On  reaching 
its  grassy  surface,  the  Indians  set  forward  at  full 
speed,  uttering  loud  yells  of  delight  and  exultation ; 
and  we  could  perceive  many  forms  hastening  down 
Mie  valley  to  meet  us.  The  intervening  space  was 
quickly  passed,  and  we  soon  stood  among  the  strange 
barbaric  structures  which  form  the  chief  town  of  the 
Camanches. 

The  captives  were  halted  before  the  pyramidal 
building,  which,  from  its  great  size  and  peculiar  ap 
pearance,  I  supposed  to  be  the  council  house,  or  the 
dwelling  of  the  chief.  I  afterwards  learned  that  it 
was  the  temple,  where  they  worship  and  sacrifice  to 
the  Sun-God ;  for,  like  all  the  southern  Indians,  de 
scendants  of  the  ancient  Aztecs,  the  Camanches  wor 
ship  the  sun  and  fire. 

But  little  time  however,  was  given  me  for  observa 
tion  or  reflection.  I  was  rudely  jerked  from  my 
horse,  and  with  the  other  male  captives  led  into  one 


38 

of  the  smaller  lodges.  Descending  a  rude  ladder,  we 
were  placed  in  an  underground  apartment,  and  after 
being  supplied  with  a  scanty  allowance  of  food,  were 
again  bound  and  left  to  silence  and  darkness. 

Again  separated  from  my  wife,  and  knowing  but 
too  well  what  treatment  she  would  be  likely  to  receive 
at  the  hands  of  the  red  demons,  flushed  with  victory 
and  spoil,  I  abandoned  myself  to  the  most  gloomy 
reflections,  which  continued  for  many  hours,  until 
tardy  sleep  relieved  mo  for  a  time  from  my  self-im 
posed  torture. 


CHAPTEE  Y. 

THE   INDIAN    TOWN. 

OW  long  I  should  have  lain  in  this  semi-coina- 
tose  etate  I  know  not,  had  I  not  been  aroused 
by  the  Indian  who  seemed  to  have  been  ap 
pointed  my  particular  guard.  Bringing  me  a 
portion  of  iamjo  and  an  olla  of  water,  he  placed  them 
on  the  ground  beside  me,  and  removing  the  thongs 
from  my  wrists  left  me  to  dispatch  my  unpalatable 
food  as  best  I  might ;  at  noon,  and  in  the  evening, 
he  repeated  the  performance.  With  the  exception  of 
this  interruption  I  was  left  to  my  thoughts.  My  re 
flections  were  of  the  bitterest  and  most  gloomy  nature. 
From  my  previous  knowledge  of  the  habits  and  charac 
teristics  of  my  captors  I  was  assured  that  my  fate  was 
sealed ;  and  my  death  only  a  matter  of  time.  These 
savages  only  captured  male  prisoners  the  better  to  en 
joy  their  destruction.  What  astonished  me  most  was 
that  they  had  not  put  me  to  the  torture  on  their  arri 
val  at  the  village.  -The  fate  of  my  poor  wife  was  the 
profoimdest  mystery  to  me,  as  I  had  not  seen  or  heard 
©f  her  since  our  parting  on  entering  the  Indian  town. 
While  I  was  being  conducted  to  iny  prison  she  was 


.       40 

hurried  off  to  the  other  end  of  the  village.     The  dark 
ening  gloom  of  my  chamber  infoimed  me  of  the  ap 
proach  of  night ;  and  recognizing  how  important  it 
was  for  me  to  secure  all  the  repose  possible,  I  prepared 
to   retire.     The   preparations  were   of  the   simplest 
character;  my  feet  being  bound  it  was  only  necessary 
to  stretch  my  form  along  the  ground  and  I  was  in 
bed.     I  courted  sleep  with  persistent  endeavor ;  but 
my  mind  was  a  prey  to  such  agonizing  reflections  that 
the  drowsy  god  held  himself  aloof.     I  counted  back 
wards,  rolled  my  eyes  from  side  to  side  in  their  sock 
ets,  and  resorted  to  all  the  devices  known  to  me,  but 
with  indifferent  success.     All  through  the  night  the 
howling  of  the  village  dogs,  the  wild  note  of  the  swan, 
and  the  dismal  whoops  of  the  gruya,  could  be  heard  ; 
and  it  is  very  difficult   even    under    circumstances 
more  favorable  than  those  in  which  I  was  then  placed  to 
sleep  with  these  noises  ringing  in  one's  ears.     Later, 
when  a  long  residence  with  the  tribe  had  made  me 
familiar  with  these  sounds,  and  their  causes,  I  was 
not  unfrcquently  startled  by  them.     My  imagination 
was  constantly  dwelling  on  my  approaching  fate  ;  and 
I  am  sure  I  suffered  enough  mental  agony  to  suffice 
for  a  score  of  physical  deaths.     The  next  morning  my 
keeper  made  his  entry,  this  time  without  any  food  for 
me,  and  I  was  at  once  struck  by  his  altered  looks ;  he 
was  oiled,  and  streaked  with  paint,  from  the  crown  of 
his  head  to  his  waist ;  his  head  dress  was  composed  of 
eagles'  plumes  stained  red,  and  his  limbs  were  encased 


41 

in  buckskin  leggings,  the  seams  of  wliicli  were  fringed 
with  long  locks  of  hair,  which  attested  to  his  prowess, 
as  they  were  composed  of  scalp-locks  taken  from  the 
heads  of  his  enemies  slain  in  battle ;  the  feet  were 
encased  in  moccasins,  embroidered  with  beads  and  the 
quills  of  the  porcupine  dyed  in  various  colors  ;  from 
his  neck  was  suspended  a  collar,  made  of  the  tusks  of 
the  javali;  his  tomahawk  hung  gracefully  from  his 
waist,  and  a  fine  robe  of  jaguar-skins  draped  his  back. 
Such  a  costume  I  felt  sure  was  only  worn  on  state  oc 
casions  ;  and  his  presence  filled  me  with  apprehen 
sions.  I  was  not  long  held  in  suspense,  for  stooping 
over  me  he  quickly  cut  my  fastenings,  and  motioning 
me  to  rise  I  was  presently  conducted  up  the  ladder 
and  out  into  the  village  street. 

Emerging  from  the  darkness  into  the  bright  sun 
light,  I  was  at  first  unable  to  distinguish  objects,  but 
as  soon  as  my  eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  glare,  I 
was  struck  with  astonishment  at  the  scene  of  bustle 
and  activity  that  met  my  gaze.  Indian  women,  chil 
dren,  dogs  and  braves,  were  hurrying  to  and  fro,  seem 
ingly  intent  on  business  of  a  most  pressing  and  im 
portant  character.  My  appearance  was  the  signal  for 
a  succession  of  howls  and  yah  !  yaks  !  from  the  assem 
bled  crowd.  The  women  clustered  around  me  and 
gave  expression  to  their  hate  in  kicks,  pinches  and 
jeers ;  even  the  dogs  snapped  at  my  heels.  After  a 
walk  of  a  few  minutes,  we  cleared  the  skirts  of  the 
village,  and  shaping  our  course  towards  the  river  that 


42 

ran  through  the  centre  of  the  valloy,  I  was  soon 
among  a  crowd  of  other  captives.  They  were  com 
posed  of  Mexicans,  chiefly,  and  all  bore  evidence  of 
the  struggle  they  had  passed  through,  before  yielding 
up  their  liberty;  their  clothes  were  torn,  disclosing 
hero  and  there  ugly  gashes,  from  which  the  blood  had 
not  yet  ceased  to  ooze,  *One  man  among  them  es 
pecially  attracted  my  attention.  He  was  dressed  in 
the  costume  of  the  mountain  trapper,  and  his  fur 
cap,  fitting  closely  to  his  head,  was  a  fit  accompani 
ment  to  his  tunic  and  leggings  of  dressed  deerskin ; 
his  face  had  a  peculiar  expression  which  I  could  not 
account  for,  until  I  discovered  that  he  had  only  one 
eye.  At  this  time  an  Indian,  advanced  toward  us, 
bearing  in  his  arms  a  quantity  of  small  stakes ;  I  was 
at  loss  to  understand  what  was  to  traiispire,  when  I 
heard  my  one-eyed  companion  mutter  under  his 
breath,  "  drat  'em,  they  be  a  goin'  to  stake  us."  Sure 
enough  this  was  their  intention  j  seizing  us  one  by 
one,  they  stretched  us  on  the  turf  in  three  files,  the 
heads  of  one  file  resting  between  the  feet  of  the  row 
above  him  ;  driving  the  stakes  firmly  into  the  ground, 
they  fastened  thongs  of  raw  hide  to  our  wrists  and 
ankles,  and  passing  them  around  the  pins,  drew  our 
feet  and  arms  out  to  their  utmost  tension,  making  our 
joints  fairly  crack.  Pinioned  in  this  way,  our  heads 
were  the  only  moveable  parts  of  our  bodies,  and  our 
upturned  faces  had  the  full  benefit  of  the  sun's  rays, 
being  subjected  at  the  same  time  to  attacks  of  swarms 


43 

of  insects.  This  torture  was  so  \ery  painful  that 
many  fainted,  but  the  women  soon  brought  the  vic 
tims  to  consciousness  by  dashing  an  olla  of  water  in 
their  faces,  and  with  yells  of  delight  witnessed  the  re 
newal  of  the  poor  fellows'  agonies.  I  was  so  complete 
ly  disguised  in  dirt,  that  the  flies  seemed  to  pass  me 
by  in  despair ;  and  being  thus  in  a  measure  relieved,  I 
turned  my  attention  to  my  companion  on  my  right, 
the  trapper.  He  seemed  to  be  taking  things  very 
quietly,  and  evinced  great  patience  and  fortitude  un 
der  his  trials.  The  squaws  were  particularly  attentive 
to  him ;  and  at  the  time  I  turned  my  head  in  his 
direction,  two  hags  were  amusing  themselves  sticking 
sharp  pointed  sticks  into  his  body  ;  he  bore  it  manful 
ly,  but  I  saw  tears  of  agony  streaming  from  under  his 
eyelids.  Presently  the  air-  was  filled  with  yells  and 
whoops ;  our  tormentors  rushed  off  pell-mell,  the 
guards  only  remaining.  I  asked  what  was  the  mean 
ing  of  this  naw  outbreak  ;  to  which  the  trapper  re 
plied  that  he  supposed  it  was  caused  by  the  arrival  of 
a  new  lot  of  those  "  gosh  darned  red  niggers." 

Deeming  this  a  good  opportunity,  I  questioned  him 
as  to  the  intentions  of  our  captors ;  to  which  he  replied 
that  we  would  be  kept  staked  out  in  this  barbarous 
way  until  tke  games  and  feasting,  with  which  they 
always  celebrated  successful  forays,  had  been  com 
pleted  ;  and  then  we  would  be  put  to  torture  and 
death. 

"  How  will  they  kill  us  ? "  I  asked. 


"  O,  darn  'em,  tlie  varmints  have  as  many  ways  as 
I  have  fingers  and  toes,  to  knock  the  life  out  of  a  chap  ; 
they  most  allus  makes  us  run  the  gantlet,  leastwise 
the  Kimanch  does ;  but  ye  see,  they  air  such  mighty 
unsartin  niggers,  they  does  a'most  enything  but  what 
yer  expect  thern  ter." 

"  Will  we  have  to  remain  in  this  position  until  the 
Indiana  are  ready  to  torture  us  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  'Spect  so,"  briefly  answered  my  neighbor. 

The  guard  was  now  nearing  us,  and  we  remained 
silent. 

The  feasting  and  festivities  had  now  begun.  We 
were  unfastened  and  removed  to  the  centre  of  the  vil 
lage,  where  a  dance  was  abcynt  to  begin.  Our  feet 
were  still  bound,  but  we  could  assume  a  sitting  pos 
ture  ;  thus  situated,  I  saw  for  the  first  time  the  mam- 
dnchlc.  The  young  girls  only  take  part  in  this  cele 
bration  ;  they  go  through  a  number  of  graceful  and 
intricate  evolutions,  finishing  by  terming  in  a  semi 
circle  around  the  chief  and  his  queen,  who  are  seated 
on  a  terrace  of  the  temple.  I  was  so  much  more  in 
terested  in  trying  to  discover  my  .wife  among  the  nu 
merous  lookers  on,  that  I  paid  no  special  attention  to 
the  dance.  The  performance  having  come  to  an  end, 
we  were  again  staked  out,  and  our  captors  returned  to 
their  feasting,  slaughtering  fresh  cattle  to  satisfy  the 
demands  of  their  appetites.  Our  wants  were  not  so 
well  supplied. 

The  next  morning  the  games  were  renewed ;  this 


45 

time  we  were  taken  out  on  the  prairie  to  witness  the 
feats  of  horsemanship,  performed  by  the  braves  and 
their  visitors.  These  were  very  fine,  and  for  the  time 
being  I  forgot  my  own  position  in  the  interest  excited 
in  the  daring  feats  of  these  children  of  the  plains. 
They  rode  their  horses  at  top  speed  ;  vaulting  on  their 
backs  and  discharging  arrows  with  as  much  apparent 
ease  as  if  they  stood  still.  They  went  through  all 
the  evolutions  of  Indian  warfare,  and  ended  with  a 
mock  battle ;  their  yells  alone  would  have  dismayed 
an  ordinary  adversary. 

Thirsty  and  tired,  I  and  my  companions  were  led 
back  to  our  old  position  and  again  securely  fastened. 
Turning  to  Black,  I  said  that  I  supposed  they  would 
open  the  festivities  to-morrow  with  our  torture  and 
death  ;  to  which  he  replied  that  he  "  'spected  they 
would."  At  least  I  thought,  it  will  only  be  another 
species  of  torture,  and  we  would  be  quickly  released 
from  it  by  death.  Our  guard  now  brought  us  some 
water  and  burnt  meat,  of  which  we  were  allowed  to 
partake. 

The  thongs  are  again  tightened ;  our  guards  move 
among  us  to  see  that  all  is  secure ;  and  the  sentinel 
for  the  evening  watch  having  been  detailed,  we  are 
left  to  silence  and  our  own  thoughts — thoughts  of  our 
approaching  doom,  and  perhaps  of  the  loved  ones  far 
away  in  some  Mexican  border  town,  whose  unavail 
ing  prayers  are  being  offered  np  for  our  safety.  Filled 
with  these  emotions,  some  poor  fellow  would  give  ex- 


46 

pression  to  liis  pent-up  feelings  in  a  long  drawn  sigli ; 
the  only  sound  that  broke  upon  the  stillness  of  the 
night.  *  The  moon's  beams  penetrated  into  the  valley  ; 
the  argent  rays  shedding  a  soft  and  subdued  light,  as 
they  pierced  the  mist  that  was  rising  from  the  river. 
I  knew  that  death  was  our  portion,  Vit  little  did  I 
dream  that  on  such  scenes  such  awful  morn  should 
rise. 


v 

V 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    TOETUltE. 

XOTHER  morning  dawned;  again  we  were 
brought  forth,  and  from  the  information  gained 
from  tlie  old  trapper.  I  knew  that  our  time  for 
action  had  come.  Lying  in  a  group  on  the 
green  sward,  we  watched  the  movements  of  our  ene 
mies  with  painful  interest.  Our  hands  and  feet  were 
bound,  but  we  were  not  otherwise  secured,  and  were 
therefore  enabled  to  sit  up  and  look  around  us ;  wo 
saw  that  the  Indians  were  divested  of  every  super 
fluous  article  of  dress  or  ornament,  that  their  move 
ments  might  be  light  and  unimpeded.  We  saw  them 
enter  the  woods  and  return  with  clubs  freshly  cut 
from  the  trees,  an  ominous  indication  of  the  fate  in 
store  for  us.  To  the  number  cf  several  hundred  the 
savages  had  gathered  upon  the  plain,  and  were  arrang 
ing  the  preliminaries  for  their  fiendish  sport.  We 
watched  their  preparations  with  a  peculiar  interest  ;  at 
length  all  seemed  in  readiness — two  rows  of  Indians 
stretched  along  the  plain  for  a  distance  of  about  three 
hundred  yards — all  were  armed  with  clubs,  and  stood 
facing  each  other ;  an  interval  of  three  or  four  paces 


48 

separating  the  ranks.  Between  these  lines  we  had  to 
run  and  receive  blows  in  passing,  from  all  who  were 
quick  enough  to  hit  us.  We  were  told  that  if  any  of 
our  number  achieved  the  apparently  impossible  feat  of 
passing  tLe  entire  line,  and  could  reach  the  foot  of 
the  cliff  without  being  overtaken  that  our  lives  would 
be  spared.  I  asked  the  old  trapper  if  he  believed  this. 
"  J^ot  by  a  durn  sight,"  was  his  reply ;  "  its  all  a  cus 
sed  injun  lie,  just  to  make  us  do  our  puttiest ;  they'll 
roast  us  all  the  same,  blast  'em."  I  was  satisfied  that 
the  promise  was  of  no  value,  even  if  they  should  ad 
here  to  it ;  for  the  fleetest  runner  could  never  pass 
the  lines. 

Several  of  the  warriors  now*  approached  us,  and  un 
tied  one  of  the  Mexicans ;  he  was  to  run  first.  Al 
though  an  athletic  and  active  specimen  of  his  race,  ho 
was  quickly  disposed  of ;  running  barely  ten  paces  be 
fore  he  was  stretched  senseless,  and  brought  back 
helpless  and  bleeding,  while  the  air  resounded  with 
the  wild  yells  of  the  savage  bystanders.  Three  of  the 
other  captives  soon  met  the  same  fate,  and  then  it 
came  my  turn  ;  I  was  unbound  and  led  forward  and 
stood  awaiting  the  signal  to  begin  the  terrible  race. 
Within  a  few  moments  a  wild  scheme  had  formed  it 
self  in  my  mind,  and  although  fully  realizing  its  des 
perate  nature,  I  had  determined  to  make  the  effort, 
even  if  I  perished  in  the  attempt.  I  had  noticed  that, 
with  the  exception  of  those  forming  the  lines  between 
which  I  was  to  run,  the  Indians  all  stood  behind  me  ; 


49 

and  for  a  considerable  space  around  rne  the  ground 
was  entirely  clear.  My  plan  was  to  start  as  if  with 
the  intention  of  entering  the  lane  of  savages,  but  to 
suddenly  diverge  to  the  right  or  left,  as  might  seem 
most  expedient,  and  run  directly  down  the  valley, 
with  the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  reach  the 
dense  and  tangled  forest  which  fringed  it,  and  conceal 
myself  in  its  recesses  until  I  could  find  some  way  out 
of  my  rock-environed  prison.  As  I  look  back  at  it 
now,  I  can  only  wonder  that  I  should  have  had  the 
hardihood  to  attempt  it.  Kot  an  Indian  among  the 
hundreds  around  but  knew  well  all  the  paths  and 
windings  of  the  wooded  borders  of  the  valley,  even 
supposing  that  I  were  fortunate  enough  to  reach  it ; 
but  that  was  improbable.  Among  so  many  it  was 
likely  there  would  be  several  able  to  outstrip  me  in 
speed,  fast  runner  as  I  deemed  myself ;  and  if 
overtaken,  I  could  expect  nothing  but  more  cruel 
treatment  than  I  had  yet  experienced.  Besides, 
although  I  did  not  know  it  at  the  time,  the  valley  had 
but  two  entrances,  and  these  were  constantly  guarded 
by  a  watchful  picket.  But  at  the  time  I  thought  of 
none  of  these  things — "  drowning  men  will  catch  at 
straws,"  says  the  old  adage — and  my  hastily  formed 
plan  seemed  to  me  to  promise  success.  Having  formed 
my  resolution  I  was  necessitated  to  put  it  in  prac 
tice  at  once.  The  Indians  were  already  impatient  for 
another  victim,  and  the  signal  being  given  I  started 
on  my  race  for  life  at  the  top  of  my  speed.  At  first  I 


50 

ran  directly  for  the  living  lane,  where  my  enemies 
waited  with  poised  clubs  each  eager  to  strike  the  first 
blow,  but  as  I  neared  it  I  made  a  sudden  break  to  the 
right,  and  gathering  all  my  energies  for  one  mighty 
eifort,  I  broke  through  a  group  of  old  men  and  idlers 
who  were  watching  the  sport.  Despite  their  efforts 
to  intercept  me  I  cleared  them  in  an  instant,  and 
ran  down  the  valley  with  the  whole  yelling  mob  at 
my  heels.  Some  half  dozen  of  my  pursuers  being 
swifter  of  foot  forged  ahead  of  their  comrades,  but 
they  did  not  seem  to  gain  upon  me,  and  for  a  time  it 
seemed  that  I  would  distance  them  entirely ;  but  I 
had  overestimated  my  strength,  and  to  my  alarm 
found  myself  growing  weak,  vind  running  heavily  and 
with  painful  effort. 

I  had  now,  however,  nearly  reached  the  timber,  and 
strained  every  nerve  to  gain  its  welcome  shadow ; 
looking  back,  I  saw  that  one  of  my  pursuers  was 
within  two  hundred  yards  of  me,  and  gaining  rapid 
ly  ;  straining  every  nerve,  I  kept  up  my  headlong 
pace,  but  when  within  fifty  paces  of  the  woods  and 
with  my  enemy  but  little  further  behind  me,  I  tripped 
and  fell,  and  had  barely  time  to  spring  to  my  feet  be 
fore  he  was  upon  me  ;  he  was  entirely  unarmed,  hav 
ing  thrown  away  his  club  during  the  chase.  As  he 
rushed  upon  me,  I  met  him  with  a  blow  from  my  fist, 
delivered  with  all  the  force  of  which  I  was  capable. 
Striking  him  directly  under  the  chin,  it  knocked  him 
completely  oft'  his  feet,  and  he  measiirsd  his  length 


61 

upon  the  grass.  I  turned  with  a  spring,  and  was 
about  to  plunge  into  the  thicket,  when  the  dense  un 
dergrowth  parted  directly  before  me,  and  I  stood  face 
to  face  with  an  Indian  of  gigantic  size  and  most 
singular  appearance.  For  a  moment  I  was  complete 
ly  paralyzed ;  net  so  my  new  opponent.  Realizing 
the  situation  at  a  glance,  he  sprang  upon  me,  and  bore 
me  to  the  ground  with  scarcely  an  effort.  Emerging 
from  the  lethargy  which  had  entliralled  me  fora  mo 
ment,  I  struggled  frantically  to  free  myself,  but  in 
vain.  Several  others  had  now  come  up,  and  my  fal 
len  antagonist,  who  had  been  stunned  for  a  moment, 
recovered  himself,  with  his  temper  not  at  all  improv 
ed  by  the  rough  handling  hu  had  received,  and  snatch 
ing  a  knife  from  the  belt  of  one  of  the  new  comers, 
aimed  a  blow  at  me  which  would  have  ended  my  life 
on  the  instant,  and  prevented  this  narrative  from  be 
ing  written.  My  captor  seized  his  arm,  and  rebuked 
hirn  so  sternly,  that  he  slunk  away  abashed.  I  was 
then  allowed  to  rise  to  my  feet,  and  my  hands  being 
bound,  the  huge  Indian,  who  seemed  to  be  in  author 
ity,  and  of  whom  the  others  evidently  stood  in  awe 
consigned  me  to  the  custody  of  two  warriors,  and  dis 
missing  the  rest  with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  again  dis 
appeared  in  the  thicket. 

Led  between  my  two  guards,  I  was  soon  taken  back 
to  the  village,  followed  by  an  excited  crowd  of  In 
dians,  who  showed  a  disposition  to  handle  me  pretty 
roughly,  but  their  unwelcome  attentions  were  prevent- 


52 

ed  by  my  conductors  who  pushed  rapidly  through  the 
crowd,1  and  soon  reached  the  lodge  in  which  I  had 
previously  been  confined.  I  was  soon  reinstalled  in 
my  gloomy  prison^  arid  after  tying  me  in  the  usual 
manner,  my  attendants  left  me  to  solitude  and 
misery. 

Bitterly  disappointed  by  the  failure  of  my  daring 
scheme  at  the  very  moment  when  it  seemed  to  pro 
mise  success,  my  thoughts  were  the  reverse  of  plea 
sant  ;  and  when  my  mind  reverted  to  the  fate  of  my 
wife,  I  suffered  such  mental  agony,  as  1  pray  that  you, 
kind  reader,  may  never  know. 

Another  night  passed,  and  remembering  the  words 
of  the  old  trapper,  I  awoke  filled  with  the  conviction 
that  it  was  to  .be  my  last  day  on  earth.  The  usual 
scanty  meal  was  supplied  to  me,  and  about  an  hour 
later  I  was  again  brought  forth  upon  the  plain. 
I  was  soon  among  my  companions  in  misfortune, 
and  like  them  securely  tied  to  stakes ;  but  allow 
ed  to  sit  upright,  as  if  the  red  demons  wished  UB* 
to  fully  observe  the  preparations  now  going  for 
ward. 

Upon  the  level  plain  facing  the  temple,  and  at  & 
short  distance  from  it,  scores  of  brawny  savages  were 
busily  engaged  planting  firmly  in  the  ground  a  row  of 
massive  posts ;  they  were  arranged  in  a  semi-circle, 
and  were  about  twenty  in  number.  We  saw  many  of  the 
Indians  go  to  the  woods,  tomahawk  in  hand ;  we  heard 
the  sounds  of  chopping,  and  saw  them  return  with 


53 

bundles  of  faggots  ;  we  saw  them  fastening  curiously 
fashioned  chains  of  copper  to  the  posts  ;  we  observed 
them  painting  their  faces  and  bodies  in  hideous  stripes 
of  red  and  black.  It  was  a  scene  of  fearful  import, 
for  we  knew  but  too  well  that  it  was  the  prelude  to 
the  torture.  What  were  my  companions'  reflections  I 
knew  not,  for  they  spoke  but  little.  But  the  set  and 
stern  expression  that  showed  itself  on  every  lace,  told 
me  plainly  that  they  fully  realized  the  terrible  drama 
in  which  they  were  to  be  the  principal  actors.  The 
appearance  of  all  was  ghastly  in  the  extreme.  Travel- 
stained,  covered  with  dust,  and  with  spots  of  dried 
blood,  some  showing  fresh  and  bleeding  wounds 
— souvenirs  of  yesterday's  rough  sport — our  clothing 
torn  and  disarranged,  we  were  indeed  objects  of  pity, 
calculated  to  excite  commiseration  in  the  breasts  of 
any  others  than  the  brutal  and  sanguinary  wretches 
who  were  about  to  put  us  to  a  terrible  death.  As  for 
me,  my  brain  was  on  fire ;  and  could  I  but  have  freed 
myself  from  my  bonds  I  would  gladly  have  sought 
instant  death  at  the  hands  of  the  nearest  savage, 
rather  than  to  longer  endure  the  ever  present  torture 
of  mind,  and  the  not  more  acute  physical  Buffering 
which  I  was  soon  to  undergo. 

At  last  their  preparations  seemed  completed,  and 
the  audience  assembled.  Camanches  and  Apaches 
alike  gathered  before  the  temple,  forming  a  vast  semi 
circle.  The  terraces  of  the  temple  were  occupied  by 
the  older  men,  and  upon  its  Buinrnit  were  seated  a 


54 

group  of  men  in  strange  costumes,  the  priests  of 
Quctzalcoatl.  Directly  in  front  of  the  temple  a  sort 
of  throne  had  been  erected,  and  upon  it  sat  the  aged 
chief,  with  his  subordinates  grouped  around  him.  An 
old  Indian  of  most  repulsive  aspect,  seemed  to  direct 
the  proceedings,  assisted  by  about  a  hundred  of  the 
younger  warriors.  A  number  approached  us,  wo 
were  released  from  our  fastenings  and  led  for 
ward;  our  ragged  garments  were  soon  stripped 
from  our  bodies,  and  with  dextrous  rapidity  wo 
were  bound  singly  to  the  stakes  already  prepared 
for  us. 

To  the  hour  of  rny  death  I  can  never  forget  that 
scene.  For  years  it  haunteci  me,  and  even  now,  at 
times  I  start  from  my  sleep  with  a  cry  of  terror  as  I 
fancy  I  see  again  that  mob  of  yelling,  painted  demons, 
the  crowded  terraces  of  the  temple  gay  with  the  bright 
colors  of  barbaric  costumes,  the  little  band  of  doomed 
captives,  the  fagots,  stakes,  and  all  the  terrible  instru 
ments  of  death.  Lack  of  all,  the  snow  white  cliffs, 
fringed  with  the  dark  green  foliage  of  the  pines, 
and  Heaven's  sunshine  falling  over  all,  as  if  in 
mockery  of  the  awful  tragedy  about  to  be  enacted. 
I  wake — and  shuddering,  thank  God  that  it  is  only 
a  dream. 

But  it  was  all  too  real  then.  At  a  signal  from  their 
leader  the  savage  executioners  heaped  the  fagots  around 
us,  placing  them  at  a  sufficient  distance  to  insure  the 
prolongation  of  our  sufferings,  so  that  we  might  die 


65 

slowly,  and  afford  them  ample  time  to  fully  enjoy  our 
agonies.  The  fires  were  lighted,  and  the  smoke  rolled 
up  in  volumes,  and  threatened  to  suffocate  us  and  put 
a  speedy  end  to  our  torments.  In  a  few  seconds  how 
ever,  as  the  wood  got  fairly  blazing,  the  smoke  lifted, 
and  as  we  began  to  writhe  in  agony,  a  yell  of  delight 
went  up  from  more  than  three  thousand  savage  throats. 
The  heat  grew  more  intense ;  my  skin  was  scorched 
and  blistered  ;  dizzy  and  faint,  I  felt  that  the  end  was 
near,  and  longed  for  death  as  a  speedy  escape  from 
such  terrible  pain.  Some  of  my  companions,  rendered 
frantic  by  their  sufferings,  gave  vent  to  screams  of 
anguish ;  others  endured  in  silence. 

Mustering  all  my  fortitude,  as  yet  not  a  sound  had 
escaped  me ;  I  had  dosed  my  eyes,  and  was  fervently 
praying  for  the  relief  which  I  knew  death  must  soon 
give  me,  when  I  was  startled  by  a  wild  cry,  followed 
by  a  yell  of  astonishment  from  the  savage  spectators. 
Opening  my  eyes  I  saw  the  same  gigantic  Indian  who 
had  recaptured  me  on  the  day  previous,  making  his 
way  rapidly  through  the  crowd,  who  fell  back  to  right 
and  left  with  precipitate  haste.  Rushing  directly  to 
wards  me  he  scattered  the  blazing  brands,  released  me 
as  quick  as  thought,  and  dragged  me  to  the  front  of 
the  temple,  while  the  air  resounded  with  the  yells  and 
exclamations  of  the  Indians.  Raising  his  hand  he 
hushed  them  into  silence,  and  uttered  a  few  words  in 
the  Camanche  tongue ;  their  meaning  was  lost  upon 
me ;  I  could  only  distinguish  the  word  "  Quetzalcoatl," 


56 

which  I  knew  to  be  the  name  of  their  God.  But  the 
revulsion  of  feeling,  and  the  terrible  ordeal  through 
which  I  had  passed,  proved  too  much  for  my  ex 
hausted  frame ;  I  swooned  and  sank  insensible  to  the 
earth. 


- 


CHAPTER  VII. 
"WA-ZO-MET-KLA. 

'HE  Indian  to  whom  I  owed  my  life  a  second  time, 
and  who  had  braved  the  wrath  of  the  fiends  to 
snatch  me  from  a  death,  in  comparison  to  which 
all  others  pale  into  insignificance,  the  tried  friend, 
whose  friendship  stood  as  a  shield  between  me  and 
petty  persecution  during  my  captivity,  I  shall  ever  hold 
in  grateful  remembrance.  To  him  I  owe  the  only 
hours  of  contentment  that  were  vouchsafed  me  during 
seven  years  of  existence  ;  seven  long  years  of  toil  and 
mental  anguish.  How  can  I  picture  to  the  imagina 
tion  of  my  readers  the  noble  qualities  of  head  and 


58 

heart  -with  which  this  child  of  nature  was  en 
dowed  ?  He  was  a  rough  diamond,  and  it  was  only 
by  the  attrition  of  constant  intercourse  that  his  best 
qualities  displayed  themselves.  Physically  he  was 
perfect ;  his  movements  were  instinct  with  that  grace 
and  ease  that  are  the  attributes  of  those  alone  whose 
lives  have  been  spent  in  the  cultivation  of  all  exer 
cises  that  look  to  the  development  of  the  muscles. 
How  vividly  his  image  presents  itself  to  my  mind  as 
I  write ;  his  body,  which  w.as  nude  to  the  waist,  ex 
cept  on  occasions,  when  religions  observances  demanded 
peculiar  attire,  was  streaked  most  fantastically  with 
different  colored  pigments.  The  head-dress,  that  con 
sisted  of  two  war  eagles'  phones,  one  dyed  vermilion, 
the  other  its  natural  hue,  served  only  the  more  to 
distinguish  a  head  that  would  have  been  conspicuous 
in  any  company.  Suspended  from  his  neck  by  a  mas 
sive  chain  hung  a  disc  of  beaten  gold,  on  which  was 
rudely  engraved  the  figure  of  a  tortoise,  the  symbol  of 
priesthood.  Pendants  of  gold  depended  from  either 
ear,  and  his  arms  were  encircled  above  the  elbow  with 
broad  gold  bands.  The  limbs  were  encased  in  leg 
gings  of  dressed  fawn  skin,  ornamented  along  the 
seams  with  a  fringe  of  scalp-locks ;  a  guarantee  of  his 
personal  bravery.  Moccasins  worked  into  grotesque 
designs  with  beads  and  porcupine  quills  covered  his 
feet.  Pervading  all  like  an  intangible  essence  was 
that  ever  present  frank  bearing  and  dignified  courtesy, 
that  at  once  marked  him  as  a  chieftain  and  ruler  among 


59 

men.     Such  was  the  medicine  man  of  the  Camauchea 
and  the  high-priest  of  Quetzalcoatl,  "WAKOMETKLA. 

With  returning  consciousness,  I  found  myself  ex 
tended  along  the  sward,  the  Indian  kneeling  by  my 
side  and  holding  in  the  palm  of  his  hand  some  crushed 
bark,  of  a  peculiarly  pungent  and  aromatic  odor. 
Clustered  around  me  were  a  group  of  savages,  who, 
judging  by  their  menacing  looks  and  excited  gestures 
were  not  wholly  pleased  with  the  new  turn  which 
affairs  had  taken.  One  among  them,  emboldened 
perhaps  by  the  unconcern  of  the  chief,  approached 
more  nearly,  and  unsheathing  his  knife,  raised  the 
long,  glittering,  and  murderous  looking  blade  in  mid 
air,  preparatory  to  burying  it  hilt  deep  in  my  unresist 
ing  body.  In  a  moment  WAEOMETKLA  was  on  his 
feet,  his  proud  form  dilating  with  wrath.  Grasping 
the  culprit  by  the  throat,  he  hurled  him  from  him 
with  tremendous  force,  sending  him  reeling  through 
the  crowd  and  to  the  ground ;  thtn  turning  to  those 
that  remained,  he  administered  a  sharp  rebuke  and 
motioned  them  away  ;  they  dispersed  without  delay, 
leaving  me  alone  once  more;  the  priest,  meantime 
having  entered  the  temple.  I  could  distinctly  hear 
the  crackling  of  the  fagots  and  the  agonizing  wail  of 
some  poor  victim,  as  the  greedy  flames,  leaping  higher 
and  higher  devoured  his  quivering  flesh.  Interming 
ling  with  the  groans  of  the  dying  captives  could  be 
heard  the  triumphant  yells  of  the  bloodthirsty  savages, 
which  were  echoed  by  the  women  that  everywhere 


60 

filled  tlie  terraces  of  the  lodges  and  temple;  their 
briglit-hued  robes  forming  a  striking  contrast  with 
their  dark  complexions.  Over  this  scene  of  butchery 
shone  the  sun,  which  had  now  reached  its  zenith,  in 
all  its  unclouded  brilliancy ;  the  mountainous  walls  of 
milky  quartz  that  enclosed  the  valley,  catching  his 
beams  and  reflecting  them  in  myriad  prismatic  hues, 
that  gave  one  the  impression  that  he  was  in  some  en 
chanted  domain. 

The  priest  soon  returned  accompanied  by  a  young 
girl,  who  bore  in  her  arms  a  quantity  of  roots  and 
strips  of  long  bark,  and  placing  them  on  the  ground 
at  my  feet  commenced  applying  them,  first  the  leaves, 
then  the  bark,  to  my  limbs.  *Soon  I  was  swathed  and 
bandaged  like  a  mummy ;  which  operation  being  per 
formed,  I  was  taken  in  their  arms  and  carried  inside 
the  temple. 

Descending  a  Ladder  we  entered  a  darkened  cham 
ber,  the  walls  of  which  were  hung  with  robes  and 
curious  devices;  passing  through  this  room  I  was  con 
ducted  to  an  inner  apartment  which  was  partitioned 
oil'  by  a  curtain  of  buffalo  robes.  In  the  corner  of 
this  room  was  a  couch  on  which  I  was  placed.  After 
giving  the  girl  some  brief  directions,  the  priest  left  us, 
the  girl  following  him,  after  having  brought  me  an 
earthen  vessel  filled  with  a  dark  liquid,  which  I  un 
derstood  by  her  gestures  I  was  to  drink.  Such  was 
the  magical  effect  of  the  leaves  in  which  my  burned 
limbs  were  bound,  that  I  no  longer  felt  any  pain,  and 


61 

taking  a  deep  draught   of    tlie    liquid,  I  was    soon 
asleep. 

I  must  have  slept  many  hours,  for  on  awakening 
I  found  that  it  had  grown  quite  dark,  the  only 
light  being  supplied  by  a  small  bluish  flame  that 
was  dimly  burning  on  a  tripod  in  the  center  of  the 
room.  My  attention  was  attracted  by  the  peculiar 
furniture — if  such  it  might  be  called — of  this 
strange  place.  The  walls  are  hung  with  hideous 
shapes  and  skins  of  wild  beasts;  in  which  ever  way  I 
turn,  I  am  attracted  by  odd  shapes,  such  as  the  fierce 
visage  of  the  grizzly  bear,  the  white  buffalo  and  pan 
ther  ;  while  interspersed  among  the  horns  of  the  cim- 
maron,  elk  and  bison,  are  grim  idols  carved  from  the  red 
claystone  of  the  desert.  All  these,  I  feel  sure,  are 
the  symbols  of  a  horrid  and  mystic  religion.  The 
fumes  of  the  charcoal  begin  to  affect  me,  my  head 
grows  hot ;  the  pulse  beats  quicker ;  I  fancy  I  hear 
strange  noises ;  I  think  there  are  animals  moving  on 
the  stone  pavement  ;  the  fitful  flame  discloses  a  shin 
ing  object,  whose  sinuous  and  gliding  movements  be 
trays  the  presence  of  the  dreaded  crotalus ;  it  ap 
proaches  my  bed  ;  its  bead-like  eyes  glittering  with  a 
baleful  light.  My  terror  and  excitement  have  now 
become  agonizing ;  the  veins  stand  out  upon  my  fore 
head  like  whip  cords ;  I  am  bathed  in  a  cold  perspira 
tion.  Making  a  mighty  endeavor,  I  free  rny  feet 
from  the  thongs  that  bind  them,  and  springing  from 
the  bed,  rush  wildly  towards  the  center  of  the  room. 


62 

Once  tlio  sacred  fire  is  reached,  I  can  partially  protect 
myself  by  scattering  the  glowing  coals  on  the  floor, 
and  fight  the  reptiles  with  what  they  dread  the  most. 
In  leaving  the  couch  my  foot  becomes  entangled,  I 
give  a  sudden  jerk,  and  to  my  horror  and  dismay, 
pull  down  a  section  of  the  fur-covered  wall ;  a  sight 
discloses  itself  that  curdles  the  blood  in  my  veins  and 
thrills  my  frame  with  a  paralyzing  horror.  I  have 
disturbed  a  nest  of  huge  serpents  !  They  move  ;  un 
coil  themselves,  and  join  the  crotalusf  suddenly  the 
room  seems  alive  with  the  venomous  creatures.  I 
hear  the  dreaded  rattle  and  the  sibilant  hiss ;  rushing 
toward  the  fire,  I  seize  the  tripod  and  dash  it  to  the 
ground,  scattering  the  glowing  embers  in  every  di 
rection.  My  fright  becomes  terrible,  and  I  imagine 
the  monsters  are  crawling  over  my  body.  "With  the 
frenzy  of  despair  I  rush  to  the  door  that  leads  out 
of  this  chamber  of  horrors,  all  the  while  uttering  the 

'  O 

most  fearful  shrieks.  In  a  twinkling  I  am  confronted 
by  Indians,  bearing  lighted  torches ;  taking  in  the 
situation  at  a  glance,  they  enter  the  apartment,  chase 
the  serpents  back  to  their  hiding  places,  while  I  am 
hurried  away  to  less  disagreeable  quarters.  I  have 
passed  through  many  thrilling  adventures,  but  for 
unparalleled  horror,  this  one  was  without  its  peer. 

The  following  morning,  I  was  taken  into  the  pre 
sence  of  the  priest.  That  something  of  unusual  mo 
ment  was  about  to  transpire,  I  felt  sure,  from  the 
general  air  and  appearance  of  those  in  the  room. 


63 

WAKOMETKLA  was  seated  on  a  throne,  around  him 
were  grouped  a  number  of  chiefs  in  all  the  bra  very  of 
war  paint,  plumes  and  robes.  It  was  the  council 
chamber,  and  I  was  about  to  go  through  the  ceremony 
of  adoption  into  the  tribe.  It  might  have  been  inter 
esting  had  I  understood  their  tongue,  but  as  it  was,  I 
played  the  part  of  a  puppet. 

The  profoundest  silence  reigned  throughout  .the 
apartment,  and  the  gray  dawn,  stealing  in  through  the 
door  of  the  lodge,  pervaded  the  room  and  made  it 
colder  and  more  desolate  than  before.  A  chief  ad 
vanced  to  my  side,  and  muttering  something  in  which 
I  could  only  distinguish  the  words  "  Americano  '*  and 
"  Quetzalcoatl,"  led  me  to  the  foot  of  the  dais.  WAKO- 
METKLA  arose  and  addressed  me  at  length ;  then  the 
warriors  formed  in  a  circle  and  moved  around  me,  ac 
companying  their  movements  with  a  wild  sort  of 
chant.  A  young  boy  and  girl,  standing  on  one  side 
supplied  the  music,  using  for  this  purpose  an  Indian 
drum,  which  produced  a  monotonous  but  rythmic 
8i-»r  "^is  ceremony  over,  I  am  again  led  out  and 

heads.  6es  stripped  from  my  back ;  substituting  in 
toim  stead  leggings  and  moccasins  only.  My  body  is 
then  besmeared  with  paint  and  oil.  My  hair  is  shaved 
with  scalping  knives,  leaving  only  a  email  ridge  on 
my  head,  that  ran  from  rny  forehead  to  my  neck. 
Thus  disguised  and  regenerated,  I  am  again  led  into 
the  presence  of  the  chief,  who  embraces  me,  and  wav 
ing  his  arm  a  young  warrior  advances  with  a  neck- 


64 

lace,  shield,  bow  and  quiver,  tomahawk  and  lance ; 
these  are  given  to  me  in  addition  to  a  tobacco  pouch 
filled  with  ft  neck  tfnicJe,  the  Indian  substitute  for  to 
bacco.  Thus  accoutered,  I  am  once  more  placed  in 
the  center  of  a  circle,  this  time  outside  of  the  lodge  ; 
a  small  piece  of  turf  is  removed  and  the  savages  again 
commence  their  incantations.  The  dance  is  exceed 
ingly  grotesque,  and  consists  of  a  series  of  yells, 
jumps  and  jarring  gutterals,  which  are  sometimes 
truly  terrifying.  Every  step  has  its  meaning,  and 
every  dance  its  peculiar  gong.  When  one  becomes 
fatigued  by  the  exercises,  he  signifies  it  by  bending 
quite  forward  and  sinking  his  body  towards  the 
ground,  then  withdraws  frcjn  the  circle;  when  all 
have  retired  in  this  manner  the  dance  is  ended,  and 
all  that  remains  to  make  me  one  of  them  is  branding. 
During  these  ceremonies,  I  often  wondered  why  I 
should  have  been  singled  out  for  adoption,  when  there 
were  others  who  would,  in  my  opinion  have  ?nswere<J 
their  purposes  so  much  better;  the  Mexicans,  for  in 
stance,  with  whose  language  they  were  f  ami  ^ 
have  been  more  serviceable ;  again,  \\ 
take  anyone  into  the  tribe  ?  Ls  ter,  all 
plained.  It  seems  that  the  medicine  man  is  averse  to 
initiating  any  of  his  own  people  into  the  secrets  and 
hocus-pocus  of  his  art,  as  the  apprentice,  with  the 
knowledge  thus  gained,  might  in  time  become  a  for 
midable  rival.  By  adopting  a  captive  this  risk  is  ob 
viated,  as  under  no  circumstances  could  he  aspire  to 


65 

the  honors  of  priesthood.  In  the  event  of  his  escape,  the 
only  damage  would  be  the  loss  of  an  experienced  assist 
ant.  From  this  time  I  was  always  addressed  by  my 
new  name  TAH-TECK-A-DA-HAIR  (the  steep  wind),  pro 
bably  from  the  fact  that  I  outstripped  my  pursuers  in 
my  vain  effort  at  escape.  I  was  allowed  to  roam  at 
will  through  the  village,  but  I  noticed  that  wherever 
I  went,  watchful  eyes  followed  my  every  motion. 

I  was  actuated  in  my  rambles  solely  by  the  desire 
to  see  my  wife ;  vain  effort.  I  entered  lodge  after 
lodge,  climbed  from  terrace  to  terrace,  but  my  patient 
and  loving  endeavor  was  unrewarded.  Fatigued,  and 
with  a  desponding  heart,  I  retraced  my  steps  towards 
the  temple. 

Morning  once  more  dawns  ;  it  is  the  hour  of  wor 
ship  ;  groups  may  be  seen  at  the  doors  of  the  differ 
ent  lodges ;  they  separate,  some  incline  their  course 
to  the  river,  where  sparkling  waters  are  just  dis- 
ceruablo,  as  the  blue  mist,  that  during  the  night  had 
hung  over  the  valley,  rises  upward.  Filling  their 
olios  they  return,  carrying  the  earthen  vessels  on  their 
heads.  Others  may  be  seen  wending  then-  way  to  the 
temple ;  I,  among  others  ascend  ;  arriving  at  the  top, 
I  iind  a  number  already  congregated  there ;  they 
make  way  for  me,  showing  a  deference  as  new  as  it  is 
unexpected.  I  have  a  fine  view  of  the  village,  and 
what  an  odd  look  it  has ;  what  strange  structures 
meet  my  view  ;  some  are  one,  others  two,  three,  and 
even  four  stories  in  height ;  they  resemble  pyramids 


66 

with  a  piece  of  tlie  top  cut  off ;  each  upper  story  is 
smaller  than  that  below  it ;  the  lower  one  serving  as  a 
terrace  for  the  one  above,  and  thus  up  to  the  top. 
The  clay  of  which  they  are  built  is  of  a  yellowish 
tinge.  Leaning  against  each  terrace  is  a  ladder,  that 
serves  as  stairs  to  the  story  above ;  no  windows  are  to 
be  seen,  but  doors  lead  into  the  lodge  from  every  ter 
race.  Those  lodges  occupied  by  warriors  and  chiefs  are 
ornamented  by  long  poles  projecting  from  the  top  of 
the  structure,  from  which  float  pennants,  bearing  var 
ious  devices ;  the  temple  looms  up  over  all.  The 
corrals,  in  which  the  cattle  are  secured  during  the 
night,  are  near  the  houses  of  their  owners.  Close  to 
the  staff  of  the  temple  stands  an  altar,  on  which  a 
fire  is  burning  ;  and  huddled  in  a  small  group  near  its 
base  are  a  group  of  female  captives ;  their  forms  are 
almost  shrouded  in  the  long  striped  Indian  blankets. 
Impelled  by  a  resistless  force  I  near  them  ;  one  turns 
towards  me,  it.  is  my  wife ;  opening  my  arms  I  rush 
wildly  forward,  overturning  men  and  women  by  this 
sudden  and  precipitate  movement.  My  wife  is  appar 
ently  as  much  frightened  as  the  others  ;  then  recog 
nizing  my  voice  she  breaks  from  the  group  and  is 
soon  in  my  arms.  We  were  not  long  allowed  to  re 
main  in  each  others  arms ;  recovering  from  their  sur 
prise,  the  Indians  seized  and  parted  us.  During  the 
remainder  of  the  time  spent  on  the  top  of  the  tem 
ple,  Mrs.  Eastman  was  kept  guarded  and  separated 
from  TAHTECKADAHAIR,  the  Indian  brave.  There  is  a 


,  ^  67 

commotion,  the  crowd  part,  and  WAKOMETKLA  advan 
ces  to  the  altar.  The  drum  beats,  all  prostrate  them 
selves  ;  the  drum  again  beats,  and  the  initiatory  cere 
mony  is  concluded ;  the  crowd  is  motionless ;  all  face 
to  the  east.  The  quartz  wall  that  shuts  in  the  valley, 
and  whose  pinnacles  point  heavenward  in  needle- 
shaped  spires,  brighten ;  the  points  sparkle  like  dia 
monds  ;  a  ray  penetrates  into  the  valley ;  the  moun 
tain  suddenly  seems  on  fire,  and,  as  if  by  magic,  the 
god  of  light  flashes  on  our  upturned  faces,  bathing 
the  surrounding  objects  in  a  flood  of  glory.  All 
nature  seems  jubilant.  The  birds  carol  forth  their 
blithest  songs ;  the  river  sparkles  and  dances  in  the 
sunlight ;  the  drum  is  heard  once  more ;  the  devotees 
prostrate  themselves  and  bend  in  submissive  adora 
tion  before  the  coming  of  the  fiery  god,  Quetzal- 
coatL 


CHAPTEK  VIII. 

A   NEW   VOCATION. 

IIIS  ceremonj  over,  the  priests  and  worshipers 
withdrew ;  my  wife  was  led  away  by  her  guards, 
and  I  was  left  for  a  moment  alone  with  WAKO- 
METKLA  ;  he  stood  gazing  toward  the  distant 
mountains  and  seemed  lost  in  reverie.  At  length 
he  roused  himself,  and  turning  towards  me,  approach 
ed  and  taking  me  by  the  arm,  conducted  me  onco 
more  to  the  lower  part  of  the  temple.  We  descended 
to  the  subterranean  apartments,  and  passing  through 
several,  at  length  entered  a  room  of  good  size,  but  eo 
littered  with  the  various  utensils  of  his  profession  as 
to  be  almost  impassable.  Hugh  earthen  cauldrons, 
set  upon  blocks  of  stone,  were  ranged  across  one  end, 
and  these  were  filled  with  a  thick  liquid  of  a  dark 
brown  color.  Bundles  of  dried  herbs  were  suspended 
from  the  walls  and  ceiling ;  the  plants  seemed  to  be  of 
many  species,  but  were  all  strange  and  unknown  to 
me.  A  large  block  of  stone  standing  in  the  center  of 
the  room  served  as  a  table,  and  upon  this  were  a  num 
ber  of  piles  of  bark  and  small  lumps  of  a  thick  resi 
nous  gum ;  in  one  corner,  were  two  or  three  smaller 


Mrs.    Eastman    in    Costume. 


69 

stone  blocks,  each  with  a  cavity  in  the  center,  and 
evidently  used  for  the  same  purpose  as  a  druggist's 
mortar. 

I  viewed  the  strange  apartment  and  its  contents 
with  much  interest,  for  I  saw  that  in  this  place  the 
old  man  compounded  such  simple  remedies  as  he  had 
been  taught  by  experience,  were  necessary  for  the 
treatment  of  the  ailments  to  which  his  tribe  was  sub 
ject.  On  catering,  he  had  motioned  me  to  a  seat, 
and  I  had  accordingly  placed  myself  upon  a  fragment 
of  rock  and  sat  quietly  observing  his  proceedings  and 
reflecting  upon  the  .strange  situation  in  which  I  found 
myself.  My  companion,  for  sometime  paid  no  atten 
tion  whatever  to  me ;  divesting  himself  of  his  robes 
and  ornaments,  he  enveloped  himself  in  a  sort  of 
tunic  made  from  the  skin  of  some  wild  beast ;.  to  what 
particular  kind  of  animal  it  had  once  belonged  I  was 
unable  to  form  an  idea,  as  the  hair  had  been  removed 
and  the  surface  painted  in  many  colors,  with  curious 
designs ;  it  was  without  sleeves,  showing  his  muscular 
arms  bared  to  the  shoulder,  and  with  bracelets  of 
roughly  beaten  gold  upon  the  wrists.  Taking  a  piece 
of  wood,  shaped  something  like  a  paddle,  he  com 
menced  stirring  the  contents  of  the  cauldrons  and 
tasting  the  mixture,  occasionally  adding  small  portions 
of  a  transparent  liquid  of  a  pale  yellow  color,  which 
he  poured  from  a  small  earthen  vessel.  For  some  time 
he  continued  his  employment  while  I  watched  and 
meditated,  but  at  length  he  ceased  his  labors 


70 

beckoned  me  to  approach  him.  Taking  a  portion  of 
bark  from  the  table  he  placed  it  in  one  of  the  stone 
basins,  and  seizing  a  stone  utensil,  similar  in  shape  to 
a  large  gourd,  began  crushing  the  bark,  motioning  me 
meantime  to  watch  him,  and  working  with  great  en 
ergy.  He  continued  in  this  manner  for  some  minutes, 
until  he  appeared  to  conclude  that  I  had  become  suffi 
ciently  familiar  with  the  process,  and  then  directed 
me  by  gestures  to  take  his  place,  and  I  soon  found 
myself  busily  engaged  reducing  the  bark  to  powder. 
At  first  the  change  from  my  hitherto  enforced  idle 
ness  was  a  pleasant  relief,  but  I  soon  found  that  it 
was  hard  and  exhausting  labor ;  the  perspiration  rolled 
down  my  face  in  streams,  and  I  felt  a  strong  inclina 
tion  to  cease  operations.  My  new  master,  however, 
plainly  looked  with  disfavor  upon  such  an  intention, 
for  the  moment  that  I  slackened  in  my  toil,  he  would 
shake  his  head  gravely  and  motion  me  to  continue, 
and  to  work  more  rapidly,  and  I  h&d  no  alternative 
but  to  obey. 

Of  one  thing  I  was  satisfied,  my  new  occupation 
was  likely  to  be  no  sinecure ;  there  was  evidently 
work  enough  to  keep  me  constantly  employed,  and 
WLKOMETKLA  would  no  doubt  see  to  it  that  I  wasted 
no  time.  For  the  remainder  of  the  day  I  was  kept 
hard  at  it,  with  the  exception  of  the  brief  period  al 
lowed  me  for  partaking  of  my  food.  So  far  as  quan 
tity  was  concerned,  I  had  no  reason  to  complain  of 
the  fair  supplied  me,  but  its  quality  was  not  so  satis- 


71 

factory,  it  was  a  species  of  tasajo,  or  dried  meat,  but 
of  what  animal  it  had  originally  formed  a  part,  I  was 
entirely  unable  to  determine. 

In  place  of  bread,  I  was  given  a  sort  of  cake  made 
from  the  pinon  nuts,  and  not  unpalatable,  but  a  poor 
substitute  for  the  food  to  which  I  had  been  accus 
tomed.  When  my  day's  toil  was  over,  WAKOMETKLA, 
motioning  me  to  follow  him,  led  the  way  into  an  ad 
joining  apartment,  and  pointing  to  a  rude  couch  of 
skins,  indicated  that  it  was  to  be  my  resting  place  for 
the  night.  Wearied  by  my  unaccustomed  labor,  I 
threw  myself  .down  without  the  formality  of  undressing, 
and  was  soon  buried  in  deep  and  dreamless  slumber. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning  I  was 
awakened  by  WAKOMETKLA,  and  found  myself  much 
refreshed  by  the  first  night's  sound  sleep  I  had  enjoyed 
for  many  days.  I  was  again  conducted  to  the  scene 
of  my  labors  of  the  day  previous  and  soon  found  my 
self  at  work  again.  This  time,  however,  I  was  set  at 
a  different  employment  from  that  in  which  I  had  been 
hitherto  engaged.  Seated  upon  the  earthen  floor,  with 
a  large  flat  stone  before  me,  I  picked  over  and  separated 
the  various  strange  herbs,  sorting  them  into  heaps ; 
the  medicine  man  stood  by  and  directed  my  operations, 
uttering  a  grunt  of  approval  when  he  saw  that  I  com 
prehended  his  pantomimic  instructions,  At  length, 
seeming  satisfied  that  I  could  complete  the  task  with 
out  further  assistance,  he  left  me,  and  for  several  hours 
I  worked  on  alone.  About  the  middle  of  the  fore- 


72 

noon,  I  bad  nearly  finished  ray  labor,  when 
METKLA  suddenly  entered  and  motioned  me  to. rise  and 
follow  him ;  we  passed  through  several  apartments 
and  entered  the  mystery  room.  Approaching  a  re 
cess  in  one  corner,  my  master  drew  back  a  curtain  of 
skins  and  disclosed  an  aperture  of  considerable  size  ; 
this  he  entered  and  disappeared  for  a  moment,  but 
quickly  returned,  bearing  in  his  hand  a  metallic  circlet 
which  glittered  in  the  light  of  the  lambent  flame  that 
arose  from  the  altar ;  as  he  approached  me  I  saw 
that  it  was  a  rudely  fashioned  collar  of  silver,  its  sur 
face  covered  with  engraved  lines  and  strange  cabalis 
tic  characters ;  this  he  speedily  fastened  around  my 
neck  in  such  a  way  that  I  c&uld  not  displace  it,  and 
again  motioned  me  to  follow  him  ;  leaving  me  entirely 
in  the  dark,  as  to  the  object  or  meaning  of  this  singu 
lar  proceeding.  Reaching  the  h'rst  terrace  of  the  tem 
ple,  we  descended  to  the  plain  and  passed  through  the 
main  street  of  the  village  until  we  reached  its  outskirts. 

Although  wondering  greatly  what  new  experience 
I  was  about  to  meet  with,  I  could  not  fail  to  notice 
the  great  respect  with  which  my  strange  protector 
was  treated,  a  respect  seemingly  not  unmixed  with 
awe.  Many  curious  glances  were  cast  at  me  as  we 
passed  through  the  crowd  of  idlers  and  "  dandies  " 
who  lounged  about  the  open  space  before  the  temple, 
but  no  word  was  spoken  as  they  drew  back  to  make 
way  for  us. 

At  the  edge  of  the  plain,  and  standing  apart  from 


73 

the  other  structures,  I  had  observed  a  small  lodge ;  it 
differed  in  no  respect  from  the  others  except  in  size. 
"We  walked  directly  towards  this,  and  on  reaching  it 
WAKOMETKLA  entered,  motioning  me  to  remain  out- 
Bide.  Laying  down  upon  the  green  turf,  I  abandoned 
myself  to  rest  and  reflection.  Naturally,  my  thoughts 
were  mainly  of  my  wife  ;  and  the  mystery  as  to  her 
whereabouts  and  probable  fate  constantly  occupied  my 
mind.  Had  I  but  known  it,  my  suspense  was  soon  to 
be  at  an  end  ;  but  I  little  dreamed  that  I  was  soon  to 
see  her  again,  to  meet  only  to  part  for  years,  and  with 
the  certainty  that  she  would  be  subjected  to  every 
degradation ;  and  had  I  known  it,  such  knowledge 

O  '  '  O 

would  have  only  caused  me  additional  misery.  For 
over  an  hour  I  laid  motionless  ;  at  times  watching  the 

'  O 

movements  of  a  party  of  Indians  who  were  engaged  \t 
in  ball  play ;  at  times  lost  in  thought.  At  last  my 
savage  master,  having  finished  his  visit,  the  object  of 
which  I  knew  not,  emerged  from  the  lodge  and  signed 
me  to  rise.  We  retraced  our  steps  until  we  reached 
the  temple,  when  he  indicated  by  gestures  that  I  might 
remain  without.  I  concluded  from  his  manner  that 
I  was  at  liberty  for  a  time  at  least  to  follow  my  own 
inclinations,  and  accordingly  occupied  myself  in  making 
a  tour  of  the  village,  thinking  it  possible  that  I  might 
see  something  of  my  wife.  As  I  strolled  about,  I 
was  surprised  to  find  that  I  was  entirely  unmolested, 
although  many  of  the  red  warriors  looked  at  ine  with 
an  expression  that  indicated  a  desire  to  "lift  my  hair. 


74 

I  afterward  learned  that  the  silver  collar  I  wore  waa 
itself  a  safeguard  which  the  boldest  "  buck  "  in  the 
village  would  not  dare  to  violate. 

My  search  was  for  the  time  unavailing  ;  returning 
to  the  vicinity  of  the  temple,  I  laid  down  upon  the 
ground  and  awaited  the  summons  of  WAKOMETKLA, 
which  I  momentarily  expected.  It  seemed,  however, 
that  he  had  either  forgotten  me,  or  was  busied  with 
something  of  more  importance,  as  I  was  suffered  to 
remain  by  myself  for  several  hours.  Watching  the 
various  groups  around,  I  saw  many  sights,  both  new 
and  strauge  to  me.  A  number  were  engaged  in  gam 
bling  for  the  various  trinkets  they  had  procured  in 
their  successful  foray.  Their*  implements  for  this 
pastime  were  simple  enough.  Several  Indians  who 
sat  quite  near  me  were  engaged  in  this  amusement, 
and  by  watching  them  carefully,  I  was  soon  able  to 
understand  the  game.  They  sat  in  a  circle,  with  a 
heap  of  small  stones  in  the  center ;  one  of  them,  grasp 
ing  a  handful  of  the  pebbles  would  conceal  them  be 
hind  him,  at  the  same  time  placing  before  him  the 
article  which  he  wished  to  wager.  The  player  on  his 
right  would  then  stake  against  it  any  article  which  he 
deemed  DI  c^ual  value  ;  and  if  the  leader  accepted  the 
bet  he  would  signify  it ;  his  opponent  had  then  to 
guess  the  number  of  pebbles  taken  by  the  first  Indian  ; 
and  if  his  conjecture  was  correct,  became  the  possessor 
of  the  articles  wagered.  If  he  failed  to  guess  the 
right  number,  the  holder  of  the  stones  was  the  win- 


75 

ner ;  then  the  next  savage  seized  the  pebbles,  and  so 
it  went  round  and  round  the  circle,  the  winners  vent 
ing  their  exultation  in  yells  and  laughter,  while  the 
losers  clearly  indicated  by  grunts,  expressive  of  dis 
gust,  their  disappointment  when  fortune  went  against 
them. 

Suddenly  my  attention  was  attracted  by  a  party  of 
Indians  who  came  forth  from  one  of  the  more  preten 
tious  lodges.  Among  them  were  a  number  of  the 
principal  warriors  including  the  head  chief  himself ; 
with  them  were  also  several  of  the  Apaches,  who  seem 
ed,  by  their  dress  and  bearing,  to  be  men  of  some  rank. 
They  were  engaged  in  a  very  animated  discussion, 
accompanied  with  as  much  gesticulation  as  if  they  had 
been  a  parcel  of  Frenchmen.  Directly  two  of  the 
Camanches  re-entered  the  ledge,  and  returned  leading 
three  women,  white  captives.  Without  a  moments 
warning  my  wife  was  before  me,  and  I  sprang  to  my 
feet  and  ran  towards  her,  scarcely  knowing  what  I 
was  about.  My  darling  saw  me  at  the  same  instant 
and  stretched  out  her  arms  as  if  to  clasp  me  in  her 
embrace,  but  she  was  firmly  held  in  the  grasp  of  one 
of  the  savages  and  could  not  stir.  Seeing  that  I 
would  not  be  permitted  to  approach  her  I  halted, 
wondering  what  new  scene  of  savage  cruelty  was 
about  to  be  enacted.  I  was  not  long  in  doubt — from 
the  gestures  of  the  Indians,  and  the  exhibition  of 
some  gaudy  ornaments  by  one  of  the  Apaches,  I  was 
convinced  that  a  barter  or  trade  of  some  sort  was  in 


76 

progress,  and  a  few  moments  sufficed  to  satisfy  me 
-that  my  surmise  was  correct,  and  to  plunge  ine  into 
still  deeper  wretchedness. 

The  Camanche  head  chief,  and  one  who  seemed  to 
be  the  leader  of  the  Apaches  conversed  apart,  the 
latter  frequently  pointing  to  my  wife  and  evidently 
arguing  writh  great  persistence.  At  length  the  bar 
gain  seemed  completed,  and  Tonsaroyoo  the  head 
chief  of  the  Camanches  led  her  to  the  Apache  chieftain 
and  consigned  her  to  his  custody ;  the  other  women 
were  also  taken  in  charge  by  the  Apaches  who  deliv 
ered  a  number  of  ornaments  and  trinkets  and  two 
horses  to  their  Camanche  friends.  The  leader  of  the 
Apaches  now  uttered  a  peculiar-  cry,  apparently  a  sig 
nal,  for  immediately  the  warriors  of  his  party  assem 
bled  from  all  parts  of  the  village  and  ranged  them 
selves  before  him. 

*IIe  seemed  to  give  some  order,  for  they  ran  instantly 
to  where  their  horses  were  picketed,  and  with  mar 
velous  celerity  prepared  for  departure.  The  being  I 
loved  best  was  about  to  be  torn  from  me,  probably 
forever,  a-nd  subjected  to  the  most  terrible  fate  that 
could  befall  one  of  her  sex.  As  the  fatal  truth  im 
pressed  itself  on  my  mind,  I  seemed  paralyzed  in 
every  limb,  and  stood  riveted  to  the  spot,  gazing 
hopelessly  upon  those  dear  features,  as  I  then  thought, 
for  the  last  time.  My  poor  wife  was  quickly  mounted 
behind  an  Apache  warrior,  and,  as  the  cavalcade 
moved  off,  she  uttered  a  despairing  scream,  which 


seemed  to  rouse  me  from  my  lethargy.  I  endeavored 
to  reach  her,  animated  by  a  wild  desire  to  clasp  her 
once  again  to  my  heart,  and  welcome  death  together ; 
but  at  my  first  movement  I  was  grasped  by  a  strong 
arm,  and,  with  her  cry  of  anguish  sounding  in  my 
ears  as  the  party  rode  away,  I  found  myself  drawn 
within  the  temple  and  firmly  held  by  WAKOMETKLA  ; 
he  did  not  relax  his  grasp  until  we  entered  the  mys 
tery  chamber,  then  releasing  me,  he  regarded  me  not 
unkindly,  and  muttered  to  himself  in  his  own  lan 
guage.  Sinking  under  this  last  terrible  blow,  I  threw 
myself  upon  the  floor,  and  in  the  bitterness  of  my 
heart  prayed  for  death.  But  death  shuns  those  who 
seek  it,  it  is  said,  and  we  were  destined  to  suffer  for 
years  from  the  doubts  and  suspense  occasioned  by  our 
sudden  separation,  neither  knowing  the  fate  of  the 
other,  and  each  scarcely  daring  to  hope  that  their 
loved  one  could  be  yet  alive. 

After  a  time  "W  AKOMETKLA  raised  me  to  my  feet 
and  led  me  to  the  room  in  which  I  had  slept  pre 
viously  ;  here  he  left  me,  and  for  hours  I  lay  in  a 
sort  .of  stupor,  sinking  at  last  into  a  heavy  but  unrest- 
ful  slumber.  Following,  came  many  weary  days, 
during  which  I  paid  little  attention  to  things  passing 
around  me.  Absorbed  in  my  sorrow,  I  took  no  note 
of  time,  until  a  change  in  occupation  brought  forth 
new  plans  in  my  mind,  causing  me  to  entertain  hope 
for  the  future.  But  of  this  anon. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


EVEKAL  months  had  elapsed  since  I  entered 
upon  ray  new  duties.  At  first  1  was  stimulated 
to  extra  endeavor  by  that  curiosity  which  impels 
all  novices  to  tike  an  especially  active  interest  in 
their  profession,  but  I  soon  found  that  pounding  bark, 
and  gathering  herbs,  could  become  as  monotonous  as 
other  less  novel  employments.  I  envied  the  women 
their  tasks,  as  it  would  have  been  a  change,  and  conse 
quently  a  relief.  It  was  a  treadmill  existence,  and 
day  succeeded  day  with  unvarying  sameness.  I  arose 
before  dawn  and  went  to  the  river ;  after  a  plunge  in 
the  sparkling  water  I  returned  to  the  temple  and  re 
newed  the  paint  on  my  person,  which  had  been  effaced 
by  the  water.  Constant  exposure  to  wind  and  weather 
had  tanned  my  body  to  the  color  of  leather,  and  it 
did  not  require  a  great  amount  of  art  to  enable  me  to 
imitate  the  true  Indian  complexion.  Exposure  and 
coarse  wholesome  food  had  made  me  very  hardy,  and 
I  found  that  I  could  bear  fatigue  and  work  that  I 
should  have  thought  I  was  never  capable  of  perform 
ing.  To  this  training  I  was  indebted  for  the  strength 


79 

that  supported  me  in  my  arduous  journey  through 
the  deadly  Jornada,  when  in  quest  of  my  wife.  When 
my  preparations  were  completed,  it  was  time  to  ascend 
to  the  top  of  the  temple  and  join  in  the  morning's  de 
votions.  These  over,  I  returned  to  the  underground 
room  and  commenced  the  day's  work.  At  first  WA- 
KOMETKLA  would  signify  what  he  required  by  signs, 
and  later,  as  I  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  lan 
guage,  he  would  more  fully  detail  his  wishes,  and 
ofttimcs  explain  the  effects  and  purposes  of  the  drag. 
In  this  way  I  became  as  familiar  with  his  materia  med- 
ica,  as  himself ;  and  from  time  to  time  offered  sug 
gestions  that  occurred  to  me,  which  seemed  to  please 
him. 

By  constant  and  steady  application  I  amassed  a 
fund  of  knowledge  concerning  vegetable  medicines 

O  \j  O 

that  enabled  me,  on  my  return  to  civilization,  through 
the  co-operation  of  DK.  CLAJJK  JOHNSON,  to  make  my 
knowledge  available  in  alleviating  suffering  hu 
manity. 

In  my  excursions  into  the  woods  I  was  accompan 
ied  by  the  chief,  who  instructed  me  how  to  gather  the 
medicine  plants,  and  where  to  find  them.  After  a 
day  spent  in  this  manner,  we  would  return  to  tke  vil 
lage  each  carrying  a  basket  on  his  back,  filled  with  the 
results  of  our  labor.  By  far  the  most  important  part 
of  my  work,  in  the  estimation  of  the  Indians  at  least, 
was  the  concoction  of  "  medicine,''  or  mystery  in  which 
my  master  and  myself  were  supposed  to  be  all  potent. 


^  80 

The  red  men  are  slaves  to  superstition,  and  in  order 
to  gain  control  over  them  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
profess  a  thorough  intimacy  with  everything  that  is 
mysterious  and  supernatural.  They  believe  in  the 
power  of  talismans ;  and  no  Indian  brave  would  for  a 
moment  suppose  that  his  safety  in  this  world,  or  hap 
piness  in  the  next,  could  be  secured,  did  he  not  pos 
sess,  and  constantly  keep  about  him  his  "  mystery  bag." 
A  description  of  this  article,  and  the  manner  in  which 
it  is  made  may  not  prove  uninteresting. 

When  a  youth  has  arrived  at  the  age  of  sixteen  it 
becomes  necessary  for  him  to  "  make  his  medicine ;  " 
to  this  end  he  leaves  his  father's  lodge,  and  absents 
himself  for  one  or  two  days  atid  nights  ;  entering  the 
woods,  where  he  may  be  secure  from  interruption,  he 
seeks  some  quiet  nook,  and  stretching  his  length  upon 
the  ground,  remains  in  that  position  urvtil  he  dreams 
of  his  medicine.  During  this  time  he  abstains  from 
food  and  water.  When  in  his  dreams  the  bird,  rep 
tile,  or  animal,  that  is  to  act  as  his  guardian  angel 
through  life  appears  to  him  ;  or  rather  he  imagines  it 
does.  As  soon  as  he  has  learned  what  to  seek  for, 
he  retraces  his  steps  and  joins  his  family  again,  who 
receive  him  with  demonstrations  of  great  joy ;  a  feast 
is  made  in  his  honor,  and  he  is  treated  with  marked 
consideration.  The  festivities  having  come  to  an  end, 
he  arms  himself  with  bow  and  arrows,  or  takes  his 
traps,  whichever  may  be  best  adapted  to  secure  the 
animal  he  seeks,  and  leaving  the  village  once  more 


81 

goes  in  pursuit  of  his  quarry,  not  returning  until  his 
hunt  has  been  crowned  with  success.  Great  care  is 
to  be  observed  in  securing  the  "  medicine  "  intact. 
The  skin  is  then  stuffed  with  wool  or  moss,  and  relig 
iously  sealed  ;  the  exterior  is  ornamented  as  the  fancy 
of  the  owner  may  dictate ;  the  decoration  in  most  in 
stances  being  of  a  very  elaborate  character. 

The  bag  is  usually  attached  to  the  person,  but  is 
sometimes  carried  in  the  hand.  Feasts  are  made,  and 
even  dogs  and  horses  sacrificed  to  a  man's  medicine, 
while  days  of  fasting  and  penance  are  suffered  to 
appease  his  medicine,  when  he  fancies  he  has  in  some 
way  offended  it.  The  Indian  will  not  sell  this  charm 
for  any  price ;  indeed,  to  part  with  it  is  considered  a 
disgrace.  In  battle,  he  looks  to  it  for  protection,  from 
death,  and  if  perchance  he  is  killed,  it  will  conduct 
him  safely  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds,  which  he 
contemplates  as  his  inheritance  in  the  world  to  come. 
If  he  should  lose  ic  in  the  fight,  let  him  battle  never 
BO  bravely  for  his  country,  he  suffers  overwhelming 
disgrace,  and  is  pointed  at  by  the  tribe  as  "a  man 
without  medicine,"  and  remains  a  pariah  among  his 
people  until  the  sacred  mystery  bag  is  replaced.  This 
can  only  be  done  by  rushing  into-  battle,  and  wresting 
one  from  the  enemy,  whom  he  slays  with  his  own 
hand.  Once  this  is  accomplished,  lost  caste  is  regained, 
and  he  is  reinstated  in  the  tribe,  occupying  a  position 
even  higher  than  before  he  lost  the  charm.  Medicine 
thus  acquired  at  the  risk  of  life  and  limb  is  considered 


82 

the  best,  and  entitles  the  wearer  to  many  privileges 
to  which  he  could  never  have  aspired  before.  When 
a  brave  has  captured  a  mystery  bag  belonging  to  his 
opponent,  he  has  performed  a  feat  of  great  valor,  far 
surpassing  the  glory  of  innumerable  scalps. 

It  is  somewhat  singular  that  a  man  can  institute  his 
medicine  but  once  in  a  lifetime ;  and  equally  curious 
that  he  can  reinstate  himself  by  the  adoption  of  medi 
cine  captured  from  the  enemy.  In  these  regulations 
are  concealed  strong  inducements  to  fight:  first,  to 
protect  himself  and  his  medicine ;  and  again,  if  the 
warrior  has  been  unfortunate  enough  to  lose  the  charm, 
that  he  may  restore  it  and  his  reputation,  while  in 
combat  with  the  foes  of  his  community. 

I  had  been  for  a  long  time  in  the  village  before  I 
was  allowed  to  wander  beyond  its  limits.  Indeed,  I 
was  kept  so  constantly  employed  that  I  had  no  oppor 
tunity  to  explore  the  valley,  even  if  I  had  been  per 
mitted  to  do  so.  But  the  efforts  I  made  to  please  my 
Indian  master  were  not  without  their  effect.  WAKO- 
METKLA  soon  began  to  place  confidence  in  me,  and 
allow  me  more  freedom  of  action.  I  had,  it  is  true, 
very  little  spare  time,  but  occasionally  rny  master 
would  dispense  with  .my  services  while  he  was  occu 
pied  with  the  ceremonies  of  the  temple,  and  at  such 
times  I  found  myself  free  to  wander  where  I  pleased. 

In  this  way,  at  odd  times,  I  made  myself  familiar 
with  the  topography  of  the  entire  valley.  At  first  I 
was  not  without  hope,  in  my  solitary  rambles,  that  I 


83 

might  devise  some  plan  of  escape ;  for  I  had  not  by 
any  means  abandoned  all  hope  of  that  nature,  or 
resigned  myself  placidly  to  my  fate.  But  I  was  not 
long  in  discovering  that  without  a  good  horse,  a  sup 
ply  of  provisions,  and  some  weapons  of  offense  or 
defense,  any  such  idea  was  entirely  futile.  The  valley 
was  of  itself  a  prison,  for  it  had  neither  entrance  nor 
exit,  except  at  its  two  extremities.  The  one  by  whicli 
I  had  entered  I  have  already  described  in  a  previous 
chapter,  and  will  not  weary  the  reader  by  repeat 
ing  it. 

The  pass  at  the  western  end  of  the  valley  was  sim 
ply  a  narrow  caflon  cut  through  the  mountain,  during 
centuries  perhaps,  by  the  action  of  water ;  its  precipi 
tous  walls  rose  to  the  height  of  over  two  thousand 
feet,  and  in  its  gloomy  recesses  it  was  always  twilight ; 
its  length  was  nearly  a  mile;  and  at  its  outer  ex 
tremity  it  debouched  upon  a  barren  plain.  At  each 
end  a  guard  of  two  men  was  constantly  posted,  reliev 
ing  each  other  at  regular  intervals,  and  being  changed 
every  third  day.  To  pass  these  vigilant  sentinels, 
afoot  and  unarmed,  was  plainly  impossible;  and  I 
soon  banished  the  idea  from  niy  mind. 

I  had  noticed  that  WAKOMETKLA  sometimes  left  the 
village  and  was  absent  for  two  or  three  days,  return 
ing  laden  with  various  herbs  and  plants  freshly  gath 
ered.  I  concluded  from  this  that  they  were  of  species 
which  did  not  grow  in  the  valley,  and  to  procure  which 
lie  was  obliged  to  ascend  the  various  mountain  ranges 


84 

that  barred  my  vision  in  every  direction.  I  was  anx 
ious  to  accompany  him  on  some  one  of  these  expedi 
tions,  thinking  that  I  might  thereby  gain  an  opportun 
ity  for  flight ;  but  many  long  and  weary  months  were 
to  pass  before  I  was  to  be  granted  that  privilege.  My 
life  at  this  time  was  monotonous  in  the  extreme;  and 
so  severe  was  the  labor  required  of  me,  that  I  was 
frequently  too  tired  even  to  think. 

In  his  trips  to  the  borders  of  the  valley  in  search  of 
Ihe  materials  for  his  medicines,  WAKOMETKLA  often 
took  me  with  him,  and  by  these  means  I  gradually 
became  familiar  with  many  of  the  ingredients  used. 
It  was  a  source  of  never-ending  wonder  to  me  that 
this  untutored  savage  should* have  been  able  to  dis 
cover  and  prepare  so  wonderful  a  remedy  as  I  found 
it  to  be.  I  had  many  opportunities  of  observing  its 
effects  upon  the  Indians  ;  for  the  Camanches,  although 
naturally  a  hardy  race,  partly  from  their  mode  of 
life,  and  partly  from  the  fact  that  few  of  them  are  of 
pure  Indian  blood,  are  subject  to  very  many  of  the 
same  ailments  that  afflict  more  civilized  communities. 

As  the  assistant  of  the  great  medicine  man,  I  found 
myself  treated  with  far  more  consideration  than  I 
would  have  supposed  possible,  and,  in  fact,  it  appear 
ed  after  a  time,  as  if  the  Indians  considered  me  one 
of  themselves.  This  state  of  affairs  was  not  without 
its  advantages.  It  ensured  my  freedom  from  molesta 
tion  and  at  the  same  time  gave  me  complete  facilities 
for  becoming  familiar  -with  the  Indian  character, 


85 

their  manners  and  customs,  and  mode  of  life.     Of 
tliese  I  shall  treat  at  length  in  another  chapter. 

At  the  time  I  was  occupied  in  making  the  observa- 
tbns  and  investigations  which  I  shall  lay  before  the 
reader,  I  had  no  expectation  of  ever  placing  a  record 
of  my  experiences  before  the  public.  Hence  in  many 
tilings  my  knowledge  of  the  subject  is  but  superficial. 
Of  those  things  which  interested  me,  or  from  their 
strange  nature  made  a  deep  impression  upon  my  mind, 
my  recollection  is  clear  and  vivid.  But  many  details 
which  might  be  of  interest  to  those  who  have  never 
seen,  or  been  among  the  prairie  Indians,  have  by  the 
lapse  of  time  and  the  many  exciting  scenes  through 
which  I  have  passed  become  in  a  measure  effaced  from 
my  mind.  But  I  shall  endeavor  to  relate  as  fully  as 
possible  my  checkered  experiences ;  and  this  narra 
tive,  whatever  its  demerits,  will  have  at  least  one  at 
tribute  of  excellence,  it  will  adhere  strictly  to 
facts. 


CHAPTER  X. 

INDIAN    LIFE. 

'HE  Camanches  are  supposed  to  be  a  branch  of 
subdivision  of  the  Shoshone  or  Snake  nation, 
who,  under  various  names  or  tribal  appellations, 
dominate  the  entire  area  from  the  borders  of 
British  America  tc  the  Rio  Grande.  Although 
these  tribes  are  known  by  many  different  names,  such 
as  "  Shoshoness,"  "Bonacks,"  "  Utahs,"  "  Lipans," 
"  Apaches,"  "  Navajoes,"  "  Pawnee  Picts,"  "  Caman 
clies,"  or  "  Cayguas,"  they  vary  but  little  in  tlieir 
general  habits  of  life.  Such  differences  as  do  exist  are 
mainly  the  result  of  variations  of  climate. 

Until  within  a  few  years,  the  Camanches  were  un 
doubtedly  the  most  warlike  and  powerful  race  of  In 
dians  on  the  continent.  With  the  Apaches,  Navajoes, 
and  Lipans,  they  formed  a  sort  of  Indian  confederacy  ; 
rarely  at  war  among  themselves,  but  always  with  the 
whites ;  and  when  united,  able  to  put  a  force  in  the 
field  which  would  ride  over  the  Texan  frontier  like  a 
whirlwind ;  and  without  hesitation  penetrate  hun 
dreds  of  miles  into  Mexico,  desolating  whole  pro 
vinces,  returning  sated  with  slaughter,  and  burdened 


87 

with  plunder.  The  Camanches  are,  or  rather  were  at 
this  time,  divided  into  five  bands,  usually  acting  en 
tirely  independently  of  one  another,  but  uniting  in 
ease  of  emergency;  or  for  the  purpose  of  making 
their  annual  raid  on  the  Mexican  towns.  This  occurs 
at  the  season  when  the  buffaloes  have  migrated  to  the 
north,  and  is  jocularly  termed  by  the  savages  the 
"  Mexican  moon."  It  was  on  their  return  from  one 
of  these  expeditions  that  the  band  of  Tonsaroyoo,  the 
head  chief  of  the  nation,  had  intercepted  our  unlucky 
party.  The  band  of  Tonsaroyoo  (Lone  Wolf)  was 
the  most  numerous  and  powerful  of  the  five,  and 
hence  was  usually  able  to  undertake  their  forays  with 
out  the  assistance  of  the  other  parties.  Twice 
only  during  my  long  residence  among  them  was  a 
general  levy  or  muster  of  the  whole  nation  deemed 
necessary ;  and  it  was  a  spectacle  not  easily  forgotten. 
In  the  first  instance  a  raid  of  greater  magnitude  than 
usual  had  been  determined  upon,  and  every  warrior 
was  assembled  to  take  part  in  it.  Assembled  at  our 
village,  they  were  joined  by  nearly  five  hundred 
Apaches,  led  by  Mah-to-chee-ga  (Little  Bear),  their 
second  chief.  Thus,  when  they  defiled  through  the 
western  portal  of  the  valley,  Tonsaroyoo  rode  at  the 
head  of  nearly  seven  thousand  warriors. 

With  the  Camanches,  as  with  most  other  tribes,  the 
chief  rank  is  held  by  hereditary  descent.  Thus,  the 
son  of  a  chief  usually  succeeds  his  father  in  the  ruler- 
ship  of  his  tribe  or  band ;  there  are,  of  course,  excep- 


88 

tions  to  this ;  but  it  is  the  general  rule.  The  head 
chief  and  second  chief  of  the  nation,  however,  are 
chosen  from  among  the  chiefs  of  each  tribe ;  the  se 
lection  being  made  by  the  council.  This  body  num 
bers  twelve  members,  and  are  chosen  by  the  whole 
nation;  holding  their  positions  during  life,  or  until 
incapacitated  by  old  age.  Among  them  are  found  ths 
the  most  distinguished  warriors  of  the  tribe,  and  the 
head  priest  is  also  included  in  their  number. 

The  installation  of  a  new  counselor  is  considered  by 
the  Indians  an  occasion  of  great  importance  ;  and  as 
it  is  a  very  interesting  ceremony,  I  will  briefly  de 
scribe  it. 

Ou  the  occasion  in  question,  Ar-ran-e-jah  (Bloody 
Arm),  had  announced  his  determination  to  retire  from 
the  position  of  first  counselor,  which  he  had  held  for 
many  years.  Calling  together  the  chiefs  and  braves, 
he  addressed  them  somewhat  as  follows :  "  Brothers, 
warriors  of  the  Ilietan ;  for  many  winters  Bloody 
Arm  has  faithfully  served  you.  lie  is  no  longer 
young,  his  body  is  weakened  by  the  many  wounds  he 
has  received  in  your  defence,  and  he  wishes  for  repose  ; 
and  to  be  no  longer  burdened  with  the  cares  of  the 
council.  Bloody  Ann's  medicine  is  no  longer  good 
upon  the  war  path ;  and  he  will  enter  the  medicine 
lodge  so  that  he  will  not  be  obliged  to  go  to  war,  but 
can  end  his  days  in  peace.  We  have  many  bravo 
young  warriors,  who  are  deserving  of  promotion,  let 
one  of  these  be  selected  to  fill  my  place ;  and  may 


89 

his  medicine  be  good  and  his  war-path  be  fortunate 
"Warriors,  I  now  give  up  the  office  of  first  counselor 
1  have  done." 

Tonsaroyoo  replied  as  follows :  "  Arranejah,  our 
hearts  are  sorry  that. you  have  decided  to  cease  to  be 
our  first  counselor.  You  have  served  the  nation  long 
and  faithfully;  your  counsel  has  been  wise;  under 
your  guidance  we  have  greatly  prospered,  and  we 
would  rather  that  you  should  still  direct  us.  But  you 
eay  th?t  yonr  body  is  weak,  and  that  you  desire  re 
pose.  It  is  well — we  know  that  you  have  received 
many  wounds  at  the  hands  of  our  enemies ;  that  you 
were  always  first  in  the  charge,  and  never  turned 
your  back  upon  the  foe.  We  honor  you  for  your 
bravery,  and  you  will  always  possess  the  love  and  re 
spect  of  your  people. 

"  !N"ow  we  must  select  a  twelfth  counselor.  Will 
you  name  him  for  us  ? " 

"  No,  Tonsaroyoo,"  said  the  old  man  :  "  I  never  had 
an  enemy  among  my  warriors,  and  I  will  not  begin 
to  make  them  now.  They  are  all  brave,  and  I  should 
not  know  whom  to  choose.  Let  the  nation  decide  who 
is  to  succeed  me.  I  have  done." 

The  form  of  an  election  was  then  gone  through 
with ;  two  braves  being  named  for  the  position  by  the 
counsel,  and  a  vote  taken  in  the  following  manner : 
Two  heaps  of  shells,  one  black,  the  other  white,  were 
placed  upon  the  ground  before  the  temple.  Each 
warrior  selected  one  from  either  pile,  as  he  preferred, 


90 

and  placed  the  shells  so  taken  so  as  to  form  a  third 
pile.  When  all  had  deposited  a  shell  in  this  heap, 
they  were  counted  by  two  of  the  elder  counselors,  and 
the  first  candidate,  who  was  a  protege  of  Tonsarcyoo, 
was  declared  rejected,  having  received  too  many  ot 
the  black  shells ;  as  the  rule  is  that  if  more  than  a 
certain  prescribed  number  (which  varies  according  to 
the  number  taking  part  in  the  election),  are  cast 
against  a  candidate  he  must  be  withdrawn,  and  an 
other  presented  for  approval. 

On  the  second  ballot,  Nan-ce-dah  (Strong  Shield), 
was  chosen  without  opposition.  He  belonged  to  the 
band  of  Stan-ha-won,  arid  was  selected  as  much  be- 
cauee  of  the  personal  popularity  of  his  chief  as 
from  any  merit  of  his  own;  for,  although  a  daring 
warrior,  he  was  a  reckless  fellow,  and  scarcely  fitted 
to  command  or  advise. 

The  ceremony  of  his  installation  followed,  and  was 
conducted  within  a  medicine  lodge,  erected  for  that 
especial  purpose.  Here  were  assembled  the  chiefs, 
priests,  members  of  the  council,  and  the  leading  war 
riors,  with  as  many  of  the  other  braves  as  could 
possibly  crowd  into  it.  The  new  dignitary  was 
then  presented  with  a  white  buffalo  robe,  and  a 
head-dress  of  eagle's  plumes,  stained  red,  the  insignia 
of  his  office.  New  arms  and  equipments  were  given 
him,  and  it  was  formally  announced  that  Kaucedah 
was  the  twelfth  counselor  of  the  Camanche  nation  ; 
and  that  the  next  war  party  should  be  led  by  him. 


91 

More  speech-making  followed,  some  of  it  decidedly 
eloquent,  but  with  which  I  will  not  weary  the  reader. 
Tonsaroyoo  presented  the  new  counselor  with  twenty 
horses  and  a  magnificent  white  shield;  the  assemblage 
then  separated.  The  remainder  of  the  day  was  de 
voted  to  feasting  in  honor  of  the  event ;  the  younger 
warriors  amusing  themselves  as  usual  with  horse  racing 
and  ball  play. 

Naucedah  failed  to  justify  the  wisdom  of  this  se 
lection,  for  his  first  war  party  resulted  in  disaster. 
Starting  with  about  eighty  warriors  on  a  raid  into  the 
Utah  country  to  steal  horses,  Le  led  his  unlucky  band 
into  an  ambush,  and  barely  twenty  of  them  escaped ; 
their  leader  being  among  the  killed. 

The  marriage  relation  can  hardly  be  said  to  exist 
among  the  Camanches.  Each  chief  or  warrior,  it  is 
true,  may  have  as  many  wives  as  he  pleases,  and  they 
generally  please  to  have  a  rather  liberal  number ;  but 
the  tie  is  not  a  sacred  one  as  with  us;  and  no  cere 
mony  is  required  to  legalize  it.  The  commerce  of  the 
sexes  is  practically  unrestricted.  The  Camanche 
procures  his  wife,  or  more  properly  his  slave,  by  pur 
chase,  by  barter,  or  as  in  the  case  of  the  white  cap 
tives,  by  force  of  arms  ;  and  he  disposes  of  her  in  an 
equally  summary  fashion  when  wearied  of  her. 

One  particularly  horrid  custom  to  which  their  white 
prisoners  are  frequently  subjected  is  the  following : 
It  sometimes  occurs  that  a  dispute  will  arise  as  to  the 
ownership  of  a  white  captive ;  in  this  event  it  is  re- 


92 

ferred  to  the  council  for  settlement ;  and  should  they 
be  unable  to  agree  upon  a  decision,  she  then  becomes 
common  property,  the  victim  of  all ! 

The  Camanche  has  the  same  aversion  to  labor  of 
any  kind  which  characterizes  all  the  aboriginal  races. 
"When  not  on  the  war  path,  or  engaged  in  the  pursuit 
of  game,  his  time  is  about  equally  divided  between 
eating,  smoking,  gambling,  and  sleeping.  All  tho 
burdens  of  life  fall  upon  the  women,  and  they  must 
endure  them  as  best  they  may.  Their  duty  it  is 
to  plant  and  cultivate  the  maize,  and  the  few  fruits 
and  berries  which  the  Indians  deem  necessary  for 
food.  They  gather  and  prepare  the  piflon  nuts,  and 
cure  the  tasajo,  and  prepare  the  food  for  their  brutal 
masters.  In  the  dressing  of  skins,  and  the  manufac 
ture  of  leggings,  moccasins,  and  the  few  other  articles 
of  apparel  which  are  required  for  comfort  or  ornament, 
they  are  especially  skilled;  and  despite  their  multi 
farious  duties  they  manage  to  accomplish  a  great  deal 
of  this  work. 

In  the  matter  of  diet  the  Camanches  are  not  by  any 
means  particular.  Buffalo  meat  is  their  staple,  and 
they  prefer  this  to  any  other  food;  but  when  this 
fails  them,  there  are  always  horses  in  plenty ;  and  I 
found  "  horse-beef  "  to  be  very  good  eating,  although 
at  first  the  very  idea  of  tasting  it  was  repulsive  to  me. 
Eefbre  I  had  returned  to  civilization,  however,  I  had 
partaken  of  so  many  queer  dishes,  and  strange  articles 
of  food,  that,  if  hungry,  I  do  not  think  I  would  hesi- 


93 

tate  at  anything  short  of  cannibalism.  A  sort  of  stew, 
of  which  the  flesh  of  young  puppies  forms  the  prin 
cipal  ingredient,  is  another  Camanche  luxury,  and  I 
learned  in  time  to  consider  it  very  palatable ;  but  I 
fancy  most  people  would  rather  take  it  for  granted 
than  put  it  to  the  test.  However,  if  any  of  my  readers 
feel  disposed  to  try  the  experiment,  I  can  assure  them 
that  they  may  do  so  without  fear  of  unpleasant  con 
sequences. 

The  Camanches,  in  common  with  all  the  other 
"  horse-Indians,"  are  much  addicted  to  horse  racing ; 
and  almost  every  afternoon  some  sport  of  this  kind 
would  take  place  on  the  plain  before  the  village. 
These  trials  of  speed  were  for  some  wager,  and  the 
younger  "warriors  would  frequently  lose  all  their 
worldly  possessions  in  backing  some  unlucky  steed, 
whose  powers  of  speed  or  endurance  they  had  over 
rated.  At  such  times  the  taunts  and  exultation  of 
the  victors  would  sometimes  give  rise  to  a  quarrel ; 
knives  would  be  drawn  and  brandished,  and  a  bloody 
fight  seem  imminent,  but  the  "  Yau-pa-sai-na,"  or 
Indian  policemen,  would  usually  succeed  in  quelling 
tke  disturbance  before  much  harm  could  be  done.  If 
his  efforts  seemed  unavailing,  the  appearance  of  Ton- 
saroyoo,  battle  axe  in  hand,  would  be  the  signal  for  an 
immediate  dispersion  of  the  crowd;  the  intending 
combatants,  especially,  sneaking  off  with  great  pre 
cipitation.  Knowing  the  fiery  temper  of  Lone  Wolf, 
and  the  fact  that  he  looked  upon  these  brawls  and 


94 

affrays  with  great  disfavor,  and  had  strictly  prohibited 
their  occurrence,  the  quarrelsome  young  warriors  fully 
apprehended  that  he  would  have  no  hesitation  in 
braining  the  first  offender  who  came  within  his  reach. 
This  warlike  chieftain  was  a  man  of  very  marked 
ability,  and  governed  his  tribe  with  admirable  skill 
and  judgment.  From  his  severity,  however,  he  was 
feared  rather  than  liked  by  his  people,  and  although 
implicitly  obeyed  at  all  times,  he  did  not  possess  a 
tithe  of  the  popularity  which  Stanhawon,  the  second 
chief,  enjoyed.  The  latter  was  a  bold,  manly  fellow ; 
a  really  brave  man  and  a  sagacious  leader ;  unusually 
successful  in  war,  his  parties  never  returned  without 
either  "  hair  or  horses,"  as  was  frequently  4;he  case 
with  others,  and  his  invariable  good  nature  and  lavish 
generosity  rendered  him  a  universal  favorite  with 
his  people.  He  was  a  pure-blooded  Camanche,  and 
altogether,  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  his  race  I 
ever  beheld.  To  him  I  am  indebted  for  many  acts  of 
kindness,  and  but  for  his  favor,  the  opportunity  of 
which  I  availed  myself  for  making  my  escape,  might 
never  have  occurred. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


HAD  intended  to  relate  thp  experiences  of  my 
wife  in  such  a  manner  that  they  might  serve  as 
a  sequel  to  my  narrative ;  but  on  reflection,  the 
better  plan  seemed  to  be  to  portray,  as  graphi 
cally  as  possible,  the  events  that  influenced  her  life, 
in  separate  chapters,  BO  arranged  that  the  account 
should  be  distinct,  yet  in  point  of  time,  contempora 
neous. 

The  scene  of  her  captivity,  and  the  treatment  she 
received  at  the  hands  of  her  captors,  have  made  such 
a  vivid  and  lasting  impression  on  my  mind,  that  in 
speaking  of  them,  I  seem  almost  to  have  undergone 
the  torture  in  my  own  person.  In  writing  her  story 
therefore,  I  shall  speak  in  the  first  person.  The  read 
er  will,  I  think,  see  the  superiority  of  this  plan  at  a 
glance. 

Who  has  not  felt  his  pulse  quicken,  and  his  heart 
go  out  in  warmest  sympathy  at  the  recital  of  some 
tale  of  flood  cr  field,  as  told  by  an  eye-witness,  when 
the  same  events  related  by  a  third  party  will  only 
awaken  a  mild  interest  in  the  minds  of  his  hearers. 


I  crave  the  sympathetic  attention  of  my  readers,  and 
this  is  iny  explanation  for  the  plan  I  have  adopted. 


AFTER  the  assault  on  our  party  had  culminated  in 
the  death  of  my  poor  father  and  brother,  the  Indians 
surrounded  our  wagon,  and  lifting  the  canvas  flaps, 
discovered  my  mother  and  myself  ensconced  behind 
our  bulwark  of  blankets  and  boxes.  They  bade  us 
come  out  by  gestures  so  menacing,  and  scowls  so  ter 
rifying,  that  it  had  a  contrary  effect  on  us  than  the 
one  they  wished  to  produce ;  for  instead  of  obeying 
the  command,  we  only  shrank  back  into  corners  more 
remote,  vainly  thinking  that  the  bales  and  robes,  with 
which  loving  hands  had  surrounded  us.  would  form  a 
sufficient  protection  against  the  dreaded  savage.  At 
this  critical  juncture,  my  poor  mother  swooned  back 
into  my  arms,  overcome  by  fright.  Seeing  that  their 
commands  were  not  obeyed,  the  foremost  Indian 
climbed  into  the  wagon,  and  rushing  on  us  with  up 
lifted  knife,  grasped  me  by  the  hair  and  dragged  me 
over  the  obstructions  and  out  onto  the  ground.  I 
cried  aloud  in  my  anguish,  which  only  seemed  to  afford 
them  the  more  amusement ;  the  savage  who  had  per 
formed  the  manly  deed,  displaying  for  the  edification 
of  his  comrades,  a  quantity  of  my  hair,  which  he  still 
held  in  his  clenched  hand.  The  wagon  and  the  plun 
der  it  contained  seemed  to  be  the  center  of  attraction. 
A  dozen  had  entered  in  as  many  seconds,  and  al 
though  the  canvas  top  hid  them  from  view,  they 


97 

could  be  heard  quarreling  over  the  division  of  the 
spoils. 

During  these  fearful  scenes,  the  events  of  years 
seemed  crowding  into  minutes.  ]S"ever  have  I  suffered 
such  mental  or  bodily  torture  before  or  since.  My  facul 
ties  succumbed  to  the  severe  strain,  and  I  found  my 
self  falling  into  a  kind  of  stupor,  in  which,  though 
perfectly  conscious  of  all  that  was  transpiring,  I  seemed 
not  to  have  been  one  of  the  principal  actors,  but  an 
observer  merely.  Suddenly  I  was  made  aware  that 
something  unusual  was  taking  place;  the  Indiana 
crowded  about  the  wagon,  all  the  time  gesticulating 
wildly,  and  yelling  in  a  blood-curdling  manner.  I 
heard  voices  raised  as  if  in  altercation  within  the 
wagon.  .Rising  above  the  diu  I  distinguished  the 
loved  tones  of  my  mother's  voice,  as  if  crying  for  help, 
and  entreating  for  mercy.  The  noise  grows  apace ; 
wild  with  terror,  nerved  with  the  resolution  of  despair, 
I  rushed  towards  the  wagon ;  reaching  ft  a  sight  meets 
niy  eyes  that  petrifies  me  with  horror ;  I  try  to  move, 
speak,  act ;  my  limbs  and  tongue  refuse  to  obey  my 
will ;  this  is  what  I  see  :  A  couple  of  brawny  savages, 
maddened  by  strong  drink,  stand  over  the  kneeling 
figure  of  my  mother,  their  eyes  inflamed  with  satanic 
passion.  Holding  together  her  torn  garments  with 
one  hand,  she  parries  with  feeble  and  fast  declining 
strength  their  revolting  advances.  With  a  mighty 
effort  she  reaches  up  and  snatches  a  knife  from  tho 
belt  of  the  savage  nearest  her,  and  with  the  rapidity 


98 

of  thong] it  plunges  it  into  his  body.  Ho  reels  and 
falls  against  his  companion.  It  is  her  last  act  on  earth. 
With  a  yell  of  rage  the  tomahawk  is  lifted  above  her 
murderer's  head,  and  descending  is  buried  in  her  brain 
with  a  dull  thud.  A  mist  passes  over  my  eyes ;  my 
brain  reels,  and  the  last  thing  of  which  I  am  conscious 
is  the  white  tresses  of  my  saintly  mother,  held  high 
in  air  by  this  monster  in  human  guise.  God  grant 
that  it  may  never  be  my  fate  to  pass  through  such 
scenes  again. 

During  the  next  twenty-four  hours,  my  existence  is 
that  of  an  automaton  merely.  I  know  I  am  being 
conducted  away  from  the  sgot  where  this  awful  trag 
edy  was  enacted.  I  am  mounted  behind  my  guard, 
to  whose  waist  I  am  firmly  bound  by  raw  hide  thongs. 
We  encamp  in  a  belt  of  cotton  woods,  near  a  small 
stream.  Fires  are  lighted,  food  prepared;  some  is 
offered  me,  but  I  turn  away  from  it  in  disgust ;  the 
hand  that  proffers  the  smoking  meat  seems  covered 
with  blood. 

I  am  taken  from  my  couch  of  skins  at  the  foot  of  a 
tall  tree,  and  led  through  the  underbrush  into  an  open 
space,  where  the  main  party  are  assembled.  Emerg 
ing  into  this  clearing,  my  eyes  fall  upon  my  husband, 
who  is  approaching  me  from  the  other  side  of  the  en 
campment.  It  was  as  if  I  saw  one  who  had  arisen 
from  the  dead  ;  with  an  effort  I  free  my  self,  rush  past 
the  guard,  and  am  in  my  husband's  arms.  Leaning 
my  head  on  his  shoulder,  I  give  expression  to  my  feel- 


fngs  in  tears ;  they  are  the  first  I  have  shed,  and  seem 
to  break  the  spell  which  has  encircled  me  like  an  iron 
band.  I  am  not  long  permitted  to  remain  in  my  hus 
band's  embrace,  as  the  Indian  with  an  ugh  !  expres 
sive  of  displeasure,  grasps  Edwin  by  the  arm,  and  rudely 
separates  us  ;  we  are  led  to  opposite  corners  of  the  en 
closure,  there  to  await  our  departure,  preparations 
for  which  are  being  rapidly  completed.  The  lariats 
are  coiled,  blankets  adjusted,  and  at  a  signal  from  the 
chief  we  mount,  and  defiling  through  the  wood,  emerge 
on  the  open  prairie,  pursuing  our  journey  in  Indian 
file.  Eefore  starting,  one  of  our  mules  is  brought  up, 
on  which  I  am  mounted,  a  warrior  riding  by  my  side 
and  holding  in  his  hand  a  hair  rope  that  passes  through 
the  bit  ring  that  is  attached  to  my  animal.  All  day  we 
keep  up  the  march.  Look  in  any  direction  and  the  eye 
meets  one  vast  expanse  of  living  verdure,  the  vision 
only  interrupted  by  the  horizon.  North,  south,  east, 
and  west  stretches  the  prairie  meadow,  green  as  the 
sea,  and  in  many  respects  not  unlike  the  calm  surface 
of  the  ocean.  As  the  wind  sweeps  across  its  bosom, 
the  silken  blades  bend  in  gentle  undulations,  and  they 
are  dappled  into  lighter  and  darker  shades,  like  the 
shadows  of  summer  clouds  flitting  across  the  sun.  It 
was  a  scene  of  pure  enjoyment,  and  I  only  realized, 
on  being  awakened  from  my  day  dreams  how  miser 
able  was  my  lot. 

With  slight  interruptions,  notably  when  my  husband 
was  lost  in  the  buffalo  hunt,  and  his  recapture,  we 


100 

progressed  steadily  tpwards  the  village.  On  arriving 
I  was  taken  at  once  to  the  temple,  where  I  found  my 
self  among  some  eight  or  ten  more  female  captives 
who  had  but  recently  arrived.  They  were  Mexiear 
women,  and,  not  understanding  their  language,  I  fell, 
somewhat  constrained.  I  was  attracted  to  one  fragile; 
looking  girl,  whose  age  could  not  have  been  more 
than  fifteen.  She  appeared  utterly  heartbroken  and 
cast  down  by  her  misfortunes.  I  suffered  enough. 
God  knows ;  but  iny  heart  yearned  towards  this  little 
stranger  with  tender  sympathy ;  and  in  comforting 
her  I  seemed  to  lessen  my  own  burdens.  Although, 
the  others  were  kind  to  her  to  a  degree,  yet  she- 
seemed  to  evince  a  fondness Yor  my  society  that  was 
very  nattering.  The  others  addressed  her  as  "  Zoe," 
and  in  this  way  I  learned  her  name.  Ilenccforth  we 
became  inseparable ;  and  as  she  accompanied  me  in 
my  captivity,  the  reader  will  learn  more  of  the  sad 
history  of  this  heroic  girl,  whose  impulses,  both  of 
head  and  heart,  added  to  her  splendid  courage,  were 
the  salient  points  in  a  character  of  surpassing  sweet 
ness. 

We  were  not  allowed  to  leave  the  temple,  although 
we  were  free  to  wander  from  terrace  to  terrace.  Food 
and  water  was  supplied  us  by  the  Indian  women, 
who  seemed  to  have  us  under  their  sole  control. 

How  can  I  describe  the  scenes  of  the  next  few  days ; 
the  games,  festivities,  and  most  horrible  of  all,  the  tor 
ture ;  when  we  were  compelled  to  stand  on  the  lower 


101 

terrace,  and  witness  the  agonies  and  death  struggles 
of  fathers,  husbands  and  lovers ;  not  even  the  poor 
consolation  of  indulging  our  grief  undisturbed  was 
permitted  us;  the  Indian  women  who  surrounded  us 
seemed  lost  to  all  feelings  of  pity  and  humanity,  and 
when  one  of  our  number  was  suffering  tortures  of 
mind,  little  inferior  to  the  physical  pain  undergone 
by  the  object  of  her  devotion,  the  fiends  would  give 
vent  to  derisive  cries  and  jeers  that  were  maddening 
to  the  poor  creature. 

One  of  the  Mexicans,  whose  father  and  lover  were 
burned  to  death  before  her  eyes,  suffered  such  poig 
nant  anguish  that  her  reason  gave  way,  and  she  was 
borne  inside  the  temple  a  raving  maniac. 

After  the  events  just  related,  nothing  of  moment 
occurred  to  break  the  monotony  of  our  captivity.  We 
were  confined  to  our  quarters  under  a  surveillance  that 
did  not  relax  for  a  moment.  It  was  understood  that 
we  were  awaiting  the  announcement  that  was  to  de 
cide  what  our  future  lot  should  be. 

The  Mexicans  learned  from  our  attendants  that  the 
chiefs  had  decided  to  share  the  female  captives 
with  their  Apache  visitors ;  the  selection  to  be  mado 
by  lot. 

I  had  not  seen  my  husband  but  once  since  we  en 
tered  the  village,  and  that  sight  was  fraught  with  the 
most  painful  emotions.  I  knew,  however,  that  for  the 
present  he  was  safe ;  the  future  I  confided  to  Him 
whose  loving  care  would  protect  and  aid  us  ir  our 


102 

trials.  During  this  time  my  mind  was  in  a  state  o:! 
complete  despondency;  no  bright  visions  of  futuro 
liberty  and  happiness  came  to  relieve  the  dreary  fore 
bodings  that  oppressed  me.  In  my  wildest  imagin 
ings  of  the  suffering  that  might  be  my  portion,  I  die; 
not  approach  the  realities  of  my  future  existence. 
Those  dark  days  of  toil  and  degradation  which  suc 
ceeded  each  other  in  unvarying  monotony,  with  blow** 
for  a  welcome,  and  kicks  as  an  incentive  to  labor. 
Even  at  this  remote  period  I  cannot  recall  the  experi 
ences  of  those  times  without  a  shudder;  when  tho 
horizon  of  hope  was  environed  by  the  dull  blank  ol? 
despair ;  and  as  each  year  dragged  its  weary  lengtt 
along,  it  almost  seemed  as  i*  I  was, 

••  The  world  forgetting, 
And  by  the  world  forgot" 


CHAPTER  XII. 
MES.  EASTMAN'S  STORY  CONTINUED. 

E  morning  we  were  aroused  quite  early,  our 
l2/   guard  informing  us  that  the  lots  had  been  cast 
and  the  captives  disposed  of.    We  were  divided 
into  equal  numbers,  the  home  tribe  retaining 
©ne  half,  while  their  visitors  appropriated   the  re 
mainder. 

We  quickly  descended  to  the  ground  floor  of  the 
temple,  and 'clustering  about  the  door  leading  into 
the  village  street,  awaited  the  final  word  from  the 
chief,  that  was  to  deliver  us  into  the  hands  of  our 
new  masters.  On  occasions  like  the  present,  the 
whole  community  was  in  a  ferm-ent  of  excitement, 
and  crowded  around  us  in  great  numbers,  each  more 
anxious  than  the  other  to  have  a  view  of  the  bartered 
captives.  The  Apaches  seemed  to  be  particularly 
anxious  to  take  stock  of  their  new  acquisitions,  and 
not  a  few  scrimmages  occurred  between  them  and  the 
Camanche  women  on  this  account.  The  men  elbowed 
and  the  women  bit  and  clawed  at  a  furious  rate.  It 
might  have  been  very  amusing,  but  unluckily  we 
came  in  for  our  share  of  the  blows  ar.d  objurgations. 


104 

The  mob  pushed  us  against  the  walls  of  the  temple  BO 
violently  that  we  were  in  imminent  danger  of  suffo 
cation.  To  escape,  and  free  ourselves  from  this  un 
pleasant  situation,  it  became  necessary  to  exert  our 
selves  and  deal  blows  at'  the  surging  crowd,  and  in 
this  way  keep  them  back. 

Of  course,  such  measures  on  our  part  met  with  a 
ready  response,  and  soon  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a 
row  that  threatened  to  assume  large  proportions.  A 
chief  who  happened  to  be  passing  at  the  time,  dashed 
into  the  crowd  and  soon  quelled  the  rioters.  Had  it 
not  been  for  this  timely  assistance  we  should  certainly 
have  been  crushed  to  death.  After  a  time  we  were 
left  in  comparativs  quiet ;  n;ost  of  the  idlers  betaking 
themselves  to  the  various  groups  scattered  over  the 
plain.  Some  of  these  parties  attracted  .quite  a  num 
ber  of  spectators,  and  judging  from  their  animated 
gestures,  something  of  a  very  interesting  character 
was  taking  place.  One  of  the  Indian  women  inform 
ed  me  that  they  were  probably  gambling. 

My  attention  was  attracted  to  a  small  lodge,  about 
one  hundred  yards  to  our  right.  Something  of  unu 
sual  moment  seemed  to  be  taking  place.  Warriors 
were  seen  to  enter,  and  others  would  emerge  and  go 
in  different  directions,  as  if  in  great  haste,  and  on 
urgent  business.  Pennants  were  flying  from  poles  on 
the  roof,  and  altogether  the  place  presented  a  gala 
appearance.  On  inquiry,  I  learned  that  this  was  the 
council  lodge,  and  that  at  the  present  moment,  the 


105 

final  negotiations  for  our  barter  were  being  consum 
mated.  A  short  time  afterwards,  the  chiefs  and  their 
attendants  defiled  into  the  street  and  approached  us. 
Meantime,  the  number  of  horses  that  had  been  agreed 
upon  as  an  equivalent  for  the  captives,  were  brought 
up  and  delivered  over  to  their  purchasers. 

Just  as  I  was  brought  forth  to  be  delivered  over  to 
the  Apache  chief,  m  j  glance  was  arrested  by  the  figure 
of  my  husband,  who  stood  upon  the  outskirts  of  the 
circle.  The  recognition  was  simultaneous,  and  with 
a  cry  of  joy  I  sprang  towards  him,  but  was  instantly 
grasped  by  a  savage  and  thrown  violently  back  among 
my  companions.  The  Apache  chief  put  a  small  whistle 
to  his  lips,  and  blowing  a  shrill  blast,  soon  assembled 
his  party.  I  struggled  to  free  myself  from  my  tor 
mentors  and  rush  to  my  husband,  but  my  efforts  were 
of  no  avail.  Ilalf  fainting,  and  wild  with  the  agony  of 
this  rude  parting,  I  was  taken  out  on  the  plain,  where 
the  bulk  of  the  party  were  making  their  preparations 
to  depart. 

The  pickets  were  drawn,  lariats  coiled,  and  the 
horses  brought  up.  Every  warrior  had  provided  him 
self  with  an  extra  horse,  on  which  to  mount  his  newly 
acquired  property,  but  for  some  reason  we  were 
mounted  on  the  horses  ridden  by  our  captors,  and  it 
was  not  until  the  next  day  that  we  made  use  of  the 
"  extra  "  horses. 

The  Indians  rode  without  saddles,  as  is  their  cus 
tom  when  on  the  war  trail,  but  the  women  were  pro- 


106 

vided  with  saddles ;  these  saddles  were  peculiar  con 
trivances,  and  the  best  description  of  them  that  occurs 
to  me,  is  to  have  the  reader  picture  to  himself  an 
ordinary  saw-buck  with  the  top  cut  off,  so  as  to  leave 
an  inverted  Y.  There  were  two  of  these  fastened  to 
gether  by  parallel  strips  of  wood  about  eighteen  inches 
in  length  ;  this  was  placed  on  the  mustang's  back,  and 
a  buffalo  robe  thrown  over  it,  and  fastened  by  a  girth. 
Stirrups  depended  from  the  lateral  sticks  that  kept 
the  Y's  in  position.  The  horse's  bridles  were  mostly 
composed  of  hair,  in  some  instances,  however,  they 
were  of  leather  worked  and  stamped  into  elaborate 
designs;  these  were,  no  doubt,  the  fruits  of  their 
foray  among  the  Mexican  puSblas. 

We  wrere  mounted  man  fashion,  each  riding  by  the 
side  of  the  Indian  who  claimed  us  as  his  property. 
Farewells  having  been  exchanged,  lances  were  poised, 
bows  and  quivers  slung,  and  amid  a  fearful  uproar  of 
voices,  intermingled  with  the  howling  of  dogs,  we 
took  our  departure.  As  we  passed  through  the  village 
I  strained  my  eyes  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  my  husband, 
but  even  this  poor  consolation  was  denied  me. 

Passing  up  the  valley  we  entered  the  cafion,  tra 
versing  its  rocky  bed  for  a  distance  of  several  hundred 
yards  ;  on  entering  this  gloomy  pass,  we  formed  into 
single  file,  each  captive  falling  into  line  immediately 
in  the  rear  of  her  guard ;  this  order  was  henceforth 
maintained  throughout  the  journey.  Leaving  the 
canon  we  debouched  upon  an  arid  plain,  and  con- 


107 

tinned  our  line  of  march  along  the  bank  of  the 
stream.  The  first  day's  journey  was  devoid  of  inter 
est  ;  we  traversed  long  stretches  of  sandy  plain,  with 
scarcely  any  signs  of  vegetation,  save  here  and  there 
a  clump  of  sage  brush,  or  the  wild  pita  plant,  whose 
stalk  towered  into  the  ah-  like  a  sign-post  to  guide  the 
wanderer  over  these  sandy  wastes.  The  cactus  and 
fetid  creosote  plant  lined  our  path,  the  latter  giving 
forth  a  most  disagreeable  odor  as  it  was  Crushed  be 
neath  the  horses'  hoofs.  Towards  night  we  approached 
the  base  of  a  mountain,  and  entering  a  grove  of  wil 
lows  and  cotton  woods,  halted,  and  dismounting,  made 
preparations  to  encamp.  The  horses  were  staked  out 
on  the  prairie  and  allowed  to  crop  the  gramma  grass. 
The  long  lances  were  firmly  pi-anted  in  the  soil,  and 
bow,  quiver,  and  shield,  deposited  on  the  ground  in 
close  proximity,  together  with  the  buffalo  robes  and 
bear  skins.  After  watering  the  stock  at  the  small 
stream  that  ran  through  the  grove,  wood  was  collected 
and  fires  built. 

Around  these  fires  clustered  the  dusky  warriors 
cooking  the  evening  meal,  which  consisted  of  tasajo, 
and  the  nuts  gathered  from  the  pifion,  which  were 
roasted  in  the  ashes.  Long  into  the  night  the  feasting 
was  kept  up,  and  as  the  fires  languished  fresh  fuel 
was  thrown  on  until  they  were  blazing  and  crackling 
more  cheerily  than  ever.  The  flames  caused  the 
forms  of  the  savages  to  stand  out  in  bold  relief  against 
the  dark  background  of  the  surrounding  gloom,  and 


10S 

lighting  up  their  faces  displayed  in  all  its  fantastio 
repulsiveness,  the  war  paint  with  which  their  bodies 
were  bedaubed. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  march  was  resumed. 
Towards  noon  the  heat  became  so  intense  as  to  bo 
hardly  endurable,  still  we  pushed  forward  with  un 
varying  speed.  After  journeying  in  a  southerly  direc 
tion  for  a  few  hours  we  defiled  into  the  bed  of  a  river 
and  followed  its  course  for  several  hundred  yards, 
when,  striking  a  new  trail,  our  course  was  laid  in  a 
westerly  direction.  The  character  of  the  country 
underwent  a  complete  change ;  instead  of  the  sandy 
desert,  we  were  now  passing  over  a  prairie  clothed 
with  verdure.  At  intervals*  wo  would  enter  dense 
thickets  of  chaparral,  and  then  emerge  into  glades, 
that  were  veritable  Hower  gardens.  At  evening  a 
halt  was  called,  but  only  long  enough  to  water  the 
horses,  and  partake  of  a  hasty  meal ;  and  continuing 
the  march  we  forged  ahead  with  increased  speed.  I 
judged  by  the  animated  gestures  of  the  Indians  that 
we  were  nearing  our  destination;  my  conjectures  were 
not  ill-founded,  as  about  midnight  we  entered  a  valley, 
and  passing  through  green  fields,  came  in  view  of  the 
lodges  of  the  Apache  encampment.  Our  approach 
was  heralded  by  the .  barking  of  dogs,  and  soon  wo 
were  surrounded  by  a  vast  multitude  of  women  and 
children,  who  greeted  the  returning  braves  with  gieat 
enthusiasm. 

We  halted  in  the  center  of  the  village,  and  presently 


109 

a  large  fire  was  blazing  in  front  of  the  chief's  lodge, 
around  which  the  warriors  assembled.  The  captives 
were  placed  in  a  row  to  one  side,  and  except  to  be 
stared  at  by  the  women  no  further  attention  was  taken 
of  us.  Each  brave  seemed  bent  on  feasting  himself, 
and  while  we  were  left  to  suffer  the  pangs  of  hunger 
and  thirst,  our  masters  indulged  in  gluttony  of  a  most 
riotous  and  bestial  nature.  As  the  night  advanced 
more  fuel  was  added  to  the  fires,  until  they  crackled 
and  blazed  with  tremendous  fury.  It  was  not  long 
before  the  remains  of  the  feast  were  cleared  away,  and 
the  Indians  reassembled,  each  with  tomahawk  in  one 
hand,  and  a  rattle  in  the  ether ;  then  began  the  scalp 
dance,  with  which  these  tribes  always  celebrate  their 
successful  forays. 

A  number  of  young  women  are  selected  who  step 
into  the  ring,  and  holding  up  the  recently  taken 
scalps,  begin  a  low  chant.  The  braves  circle  round, 
brandishing  weapons  of  various  kinds,  whilst  they 
distort  their  faces  and  bodies  into  the  most  horrid 
shapes.  Simultaneously  jumping  into  the  air,  they 
come  down  on  both  feet  with  a  blow  and  thrust  of 
their  weapons,  while  it  would  appear  as  if  they  were 
indulging  in  the  most  horrible  butchery.  Darting 
about  their  glaring  eye-balls,  as  if  actuated  by  the 
most  fiendish  passions.  As  the  dance  continues  the 
excitement  grows  apace;  the  bystanders  wave  their 
torches  and  urge  the  actors  on  to  renewed  endeavor. 
The  scene  becomes  one  wild  orgie,  in  which  the  lowest 


110 

and  most  blood-tliirsty  passions  are  excited.  The 
drums  continue  beating,  the  women  shriek,  men  yell, 
dogs  bark,  and  the  whole  scene  becomes  wild  and 
terrible  in  the  extreme.  JSro  description  can  do  justice 
to  this  remarkable  performance,  but  once  seen  it 
leaves  a  vivid  impress  on  the  mind  that  time  can 
never  efface. 

The  dance  was  continued  until  the  stars  gradually 
disappeared,  and  the  gray  streaks  of  dawn  ushered  in 
the  new  day.  Tired,  and  trembling  with  nervous 
excitement,  I  was  conducted  within  the  lodge ;  and 
throwing  myself  on  the  ground,  I  sought  that  repose 
that  my  body  and  mind  BO  much  needed. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


tEAKS  have  dragged  their  slow  length  along; 
once  again  I  am  surrounded  by  friends,  and  a 
husband's  love  shields  me  from  the  persecutions 
of  a  cruel  captivity :  yet,  scenes  and  incidents  of 
that  terrible  time  recur  to  my  memory  with  a  vivid 
ness  onl^  too  real.  The  capture,  torture,  and  fatiguing 
marches,  have  left  their  imprint  on  my  memory  in 
ineffaceable  characters.  These  were,  however,  but 
the  overture  to  the  drama.  My  intense  sufferings 
commenced,  and  were  comprised  in  the  nine  years  of 
my  life  among  the  Apaches. 

I  had  passed  a  restless  night;  my  couch  was 
haunted  by  dreams  of  ill  omen,  and  it  was  with  a  sigh 
of  relief  that  I  saw  the  morning's  rays  peeping  through 
the  crevices  of  our  lodge  of  skins.  I  was  enabled  to 
look  upon  my  surroundings,  and  take  stock  of  my 
future  home.  The  lodge  was  circular  in  form,  measur 
ing  a  circumference  of  about  fifty  feet  at  the  base, 
narrowing  as  it  extended  upwards,  until  a  space  of 
about  six  feet  was  left  open  at  the  top ;  the  -frame 
work  consisted  of  poles  driven  firmly  into  the  ground, 


112 

and  held  in  position  by  a  covering  of  dressed  buffalo 
skins.  The  floor  in  the  center  of  the  lodge  was  de 
pressed  sufficiently  to  form  a  fire-place,  in  which  a 
few  glowing  embers  could  yet  be  seen.  Hanged 
around  the  walls  were  the  beds,  seven  in  number, 
which  were  occupied  by  the  chief  and  his  six  wives. 
I,  of  course,  was  included  in  the  number.  Some  of 
the  beds  were  tastefully  draped  with  curtains  of 
dressed  skins,  ornamented  in  various  styles.  The  bed 
of  the  chief  was  perhaps  the  most  gorgeous;  on  it 
could  be  seen  the  labor  of  five  jealous  women,  each 
more  anxious  than  the  other  to  propitiate  her  lord  by 
some  extravagance  of  decoration,  which  would  deflect 
the  sunshine  of  his  favor  on  Jier  head  to  the  envy  and 
exclusion  of  the  remaining  members  of  the  family. 
Suspended  from  stakes  driven  into  the  ground  near 
the  head  of  his  couch  rested  the  implements  of  war 
fare  ;  lance,  shield,  bow,  and  quiver,  together  with  the 
deadly  tomahawk  and  murderous  scalping  knife.  Ex 
tended  along  a  line  that  bisected  the  wigwam,  at  a 
distance  of  perhaps  twelve  feet  from  the  floor,  were 
the  scalps  of  his  enemies.  Judging  from  the  great 
quantity  of  these  ghastly  trophies,  my  master  was  a 
man  of  immense  valor  and  shocking  brutality. 

Soon  there  was  a  movement,  the  curtains  of  one  of 
the  beds  parted,  and  the  head,  shoulders  and  body  of 
a  tawny  savage  appeared.  Leaving  the  lodge  for 
a  short  time,  she  again  returned  with  an  armful  of 
brash  which  she  threw  upon  the  fire  ;  then  falling  up- 


113 

on  her  knees  she  blew  the  smoldering  embers  into  a 
bright  flame.  The  noise  of  the  crackling  wood 
aroused  the  others,  and  soon  all  the  women  were  en 
gaged  in  their  household  duties ;  one  busied  herself 
in  preparing  the  morning  meal ;  another  was  collect 
ing  into  one  pile  a  number  of  queer  looking  instru 
ments,  with  whose  use  I  was  to  become  acquainted 
only  too  soon ;  still  another,  was  devoting  her  atten 
tion  to  a  young  babe.  Thus  all  were  occupied.  I 
was  not  long  allowed  to  remain  in  undisturbed  pos 
session  of  my  quarters.  The  woman  in  charge  of  the 
cauldron  placed  over  the  fire  called  for  assistance,  all 
were  too  busy  to  lend  her  aid,  and  one  suggested  that 
I  should  be  aroused.  This  remark  was  received  with 
general  approbation,  and  soon  I  was  on  the  floor,  lift 
ing  kettles,  fetching  fresh  fuel,  and  in  fact,  doing  the 
bidding  of  my  task-makers  as  best  I  might.  This 
was  the  commencement  of  a  life  of  unceasing  toil.  I 
was  the  pariah  of  our  little  community ;  having  no 
rights  that  compelled  respect,  and  being  looked  upon 
with  feelings  of  suspicion  and  distrust  by  the  Indian 
women,  I  was  driven  to  perform  the  menial  tasks  and 
endure  the  ill-treatment  of  those  who  were  only  too 
happy,  to  visit  on  my  unoffending  and  unresisting 
body,  the  ill  -treatment  they  had  to  endure  from  higher 
quarters. 

Breakfast  being  ready,  the  chief  was  aroused  and 
the  family  clustered  around  the  fire,  attacking  the 
contents  of  the  kettle.  To  have  seen  them  eat,  one 


114 

would  have  supposed  that  they  had  been  strangers  to 
food  for  a  very  long  period ;  food  was  not  eaten,  it 
was  devoured.  After  having  partaken  of  the  cakes 
of  maize  and  tassajo,  the  work  of  the  day  began. 
Malitocheega,  of  course,  did  nothing  but  smoke  his 
k'nec.k  k'nick  and  lounge  about  the  lodge.  His  fav 
orite  pastime  was  to  lie  at  full  length  in  front  of  the 
door,  and  like  any  dog,  bask  in  the  rays  of  the 
sun. 

It  was  now  the  planting  season,  and  from  morn  till 
night  we  were  in  the  field,  breaking  the  ground  and 
sowing  the  grain.  The  implements  used,  were  of  a 
very  rude  character,  the  hoes  being  fashioned  from 
the  shoulder  bone  of  the  bison ;  the  earth  was  broken 
by  these,  and  all  the  cultivation  that  was  required  was 
performed  with  the  aid  of  this  article.  Such  was  the 
great  fertility  of  the  soil,  that  maize  and  squashes 
grew  almost  spontaneously  when  planted.  All 
through  the  day,  we  were  compelled  to  stoop  and  bend 
over  the  ground,  while  the  sun's  rays  becoming  more 
and  more  intense,  made  life  intolerable.  Did  we  lag 
but  for  a  moment,  the  ever  vigilant  eye  of  some  adja 
cent  Indian  would  note  the  movement,  and  swooping 
down  on  us  would  urge  us  to  renewed  exertion,  by 
word  or  blow. 

My  first  day's  experience  in  this  species  of  farming, 
was  excruciating  agony.  Beiug  unskilled  in  the  use 
of  a  hoe,  I  bruised  myself  severely,  for,  instead  of 
breaking  the  soil,  I  came  down  with  full  force  on  my 


115 

own  limbs  and  feet ;  at  such  times  a  groan  of  agony 
would  escape  me,  which,  instead  of  eliciting  sympathy, 
would  only  excite  laughter.  Maimed  and  bleeding,  I 
toiled  on,  and  wishing,  oh !  so  fervently,  that  the  next 
blow  might  be  on  my  head,  instead  of  the  inferior 
parts  of  my  body.  Towards  evening,  my  torture  be 
came  unendurable,  and  throwing  my  tired  body  on 
the  ground,  I  determined  not  to  work  longer,  let  the 
consequences  be  what  they  may.  This  conduct  was 
so  entirely  unexpected,  that  it  took  my  captors  by  sur 
prise,  and  finding  blows  of  no  avail,  they  desisted, 
and  left  me  to  suffer  alone.  I  had  to  be  carried 
home,  much  to  the  disgust  of  those  whose  duty  it  was 
to  bear  the  burden ;  arriving  at  the  lodge,  ointment 
was  prepared  from  the  juice  expressed  from  the  leaves 
of  the  pita  plant,  and  being  applied  to  my  braised 
limbs,  soon  allayed  the  inflammation  and  soreness. 

A  brief  description  of  this  remarkable  plant  may 
not  be  without  interest  to  the  reader ;  what  the  zamias 
is  to  the  East  Indian,  the  pita  plant  is  to  the  Southern 
Indian — it  is  food,  medicine,  stimulant,  and  clothing. 
It  is  to  be  found  in  the  greatest  abundance  along  the 
great  American  desert,  near  the  base  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  In  places  where  it  would  seem  impossible 
for  living  plants  to  thrive,  there  may  be  found  the 
leclmguilla,  its  stalk  rising  to  the  height  of  twenty 
feet,  and  its  thorny  leaves  branching  out  in  clusters 
along  its  length  ;  its  fiber  is  made  into  rope ;  the  sap 
expressed  from  its  leaves,  when  boiled  to  the  consist- 


116 

ency  of  honey  is  an  admirable  dressing  for  wounds, 
causing  light  cuts  to  cicatrize  almost  immediately,  and 
even  ugly  gashes  will  yield  to  it  in  time.  The  juice 
distilled,  produces  the  fiery  mescal,  familiarly  known 
among  the  trappers  as  "pass  whiskey."  It  is  made 
quite  extensively  at  El  Paso,  hence  the  sobriquet. 
The  egg-shaped  core,  when  cooked,  yields  a  thick, 
transparent  body,  similar  to  jelly ;  it  is  very  nutritious, 
and  is  used  to  a  great  extent  by  one  branch  of  the 
Apaches,  who  bake  it  with  horse-flesh ;  this  tribe  is 
called  by  the  frontiersmen,  mescaleros  on  this  ac 
count. 

"Without  the  aid  of  this  plant,  there  are  seasons 
when  the  Lipans,  Apaches,  Hnd  Camanches  would 
perieh  from  starvation.  Too  much  cannot  be  said  in 
praise  of  the  wild  aloe ;  it  is  one  of  the  many  striking 
instances  in  which  an  all-wise  Providence  has  furn 
ished  man  with  a  medicine  and  food  combined.  The 
laboratory  of  nature  is  full  of  similar  plants  whose  use 
are  as  yet  imperfectly  known,  and  have  perhaps  never 
been  applied  to  the  relief  of  the  suffering. 

During  my  sojourn  among  the  Indians  I  became 
familiar  with  the  names  and  uses  of  many  of  these 
roots  and  plants,  which  I  believe  were  never  before 
known  to  civilized  man. 

Several  months  had  elapsed,  the  corn  was  planted 
and  had  nearly  ripened.  As  I  became  hardened  by 
exposure  and  toil,  my  lot  seemed  somewhat  softened ; 
I  say  seemed  mitigated ;  the  work  was  none  the  less 


117 

arduous,  only  my  capacity  to  bear  toil  had  been 
strengthened. 

One  day,  Eeh-nis-kin  (the  crystal  stone),  intimated 
that  I  was  to  be  branded  ;  this  intelligence  filled  me 
with  terror.  I  had  never  seen  any  one  marked  in 
this  manner,  and  I  presumed  the  process  was  a  painful 
one.  After  having  finished  the  morning's  work  I  had 
retired  into  the  lodge,  in  order  to  complete  some  gar 
ments  I  was  making  for  Eehniskin's  little  boy,  when 
a  messenger  arrived,  announcing  that  the  medicine 
man  wished  to  see  me,  and  bade  me  follow  him.  Ar 
riving  at  the  lodge  in  the  center  of  the  village,  I 
joined  a  throng  of  captives,  who  like  myself  had  been 
summoned  to  appear  and  receive  the  mark  of  bondage. 
Presently  the  crowd  gave  way,  and  the  "  hush-sh  " 
tkat  was  echoed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  warned  us  of 
the  approach  of  Pa-nis-ka-soo-pa  (the  two  crows),  the 
high  priest  and  great  medicine  of  the  nation.  We 
were  required  to  form  a  ring,  leaving  a  space  of  some 
thirty  feet  in  diameter.  Silence  reigned  supreme ; 
nothing  was  heard  eave  the  light  tinkling  of  the  rat 
tles  upon  his  dress,  as  he  cautiously  and  slowly  moved 
through  the  avenue  left  for  him.  He  n eared  us  with 
a  slow  and  tilting  step,  his  body  and  head  entirely 
covered  with  the  skin  of  a  yellow  bear,  the  head  of 
which  served  as  a  mask  to  his  own,  which  was  inside 
of  it ;  the  huge  bear's  claws  were  dangling  on  his 
wrists  and  ankles.  In  one  hand  he  shook  a  frightful 
rattle,  with  the  other  he  brandished  his  medicine  spear, 


118 

to  the  rattling  din  of  which  he  added  the  wild  and 
startling  yelis  and  jump  of  the  Indian,  and  the  apal- 
ling  grunts  and  snarls  of  the  grizzly  bear.  After 
prancing  around  us  for  a  short  time,  he  built  a  small 
tire,  and  threw  into  it  some  bits  of  bluish  clay, 
which  turned  black  when  subjected  to  the  fierce  heat ; 
these  were  then  pounded  into  fine  powder.  Taking 
a  sharp-pointed  stick,  he  pricked  our  chins  in  semi 
circles  with  the  point  of  this  stick  clipped  in  a  lotion 
of  the  powdered  clay  and  a  blackish  gum,  which  he 
poured  from  a  stone  vial.  The  sensation  was  as  if  one 
was  sticking  needles  into  your  face.  Soon  after  the 
operation  was  performed  the  skin  began  to  burn  and 
the  punctured  portion  inflame ;  it  then  became  very 
painful,  but  an  application  of  the  never-failing  aloe 
soothed  the  inflammation.  This  was  the  ceremony  of 
branding,  and  I  carry  the  scar,  and  will  continue  to 
wear  it  to  my  latest  hours. 

Returning  to  the  lodge,  I  w;  >d  with  jeers  and 

derisive  laughter  by  the  wome,  household ;  the 

dogs  joined  in  the  uproar,  bar  .-  •  rhaps,  because 
others  pointed  the  finger  of  scor  and  to  be  in 

sympathy  with  their  masters.  Even  *  *,  filthy  little 
children  raised  their  tiny  voices,  ,  ccompanying  their 
laughter  with  volleys  of  stones  and  ika,  thus 

"  Catching  at  little  bits  of  fnn  and  glee, 
That's  played  on  dojjs  enslaved,  by  dogs  tl 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

HOPES  AND  FEAKS AN  ADVENTUEE. 

over  two  years  ray  life  was  one  unvarying 
monotony ;  a  ceaseless  round  of  toil.     Day  after 
day  I  was  occupied  with  my  duties  in  the  labor 
atory,  or  in  gathering  roots  and  herbs  for  the 
preparation  of  the  medicine. 

The  daily  life  of  the  village  presented  a  wearying 
sameness  after  I  had  become  accustomed  to  its  more 
novel  peculiarities.  There  was  little  of  excitement  or 
interest  in  ray  surroundings.  At  first  the  arrival  and 
departure  of  war  parties,  or  the  bands,  who  at  regular 
intervals  went  forth  to  hunt,  or  to  steal  horses,  at 
tracted  much  of  my  attention ;  but  eventually  all 
these  became  tiresome ;  for  when  you  have  seen  one 
of  these  gatherings,  you  have  seen  all,  so  little  do  they 
differ. 

Many  times  I  accompanied  "Wakometkla  in  his  trips 
beyond  the  valley,  in  search  of  those  ingredients  for 
his  medicine,  which  could  not  be  procured  within  its 
limits.  I  had  not  yet  abandoned  the  idea  of  escape, 
should  an  opportunity  offer,  and  I  had  hoped  that  in 
these  expeditions  beyond  the  valley,  I  might  find  the 


120 

occasion  for  which  I  longed.  But  in  this  regard  for 
tune  did  not  favor  me;  I  was  always  too  closely 
watched  to  make  the  attempt  with  any  hope  of  success ; 
and  it  was  not  long  before  I  satisfied  myself,  that  even 
if  I  should  succeed  in  getting  clear  of  the  valley,  there 
was  veiy  little  chance  of  iny  finding  my  way  back  to 
civilization.  Gazing  from  the  summit  of  one  of  the 
"  spurs  "  of  the  mountain  range  east  of  the  valley,  I 
found  my  path  to  liberty  barred  by  the  desert,  which 
stretched  for  many  miles  to  the  north  and  east.  South 
ward,  the  prospect  was  scarcely  more  inviting ;  the 
country  was  almost  equally  barren,  although  more 
broken,  and  affording  a  better  chance  for  concealment. 
But  I  knew  that  the  expert  Indian  "  trackers  "  would 
find  my  trail,  no  matter  what  course  I  might  take; 
and  an  attempt  to  escape  on  foot  could  only  result  in 
my  being  overtaken,  brought  back,  and  probably  tor 
tured  ;  for  not  even  the  influence  of  the  high-priest 
himself  would  avail  to  save  me,  if  detected  in  an  effort 
to  escape.  With  a  good  horse,  success  was  possible  ; 
although  it  was  an  open  question,^f/hether  I  would  be 
able  to  find  my  way  through  a  country  of  which  I 
knew  so  little.  It  seemed  far  more  probable  that  I 
would  either  perish  in  the  desert,  or  only  survive  its 
dangers  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  other  savages,  more 
cruel  and  relentless  than  the  tribe  of  which  I  had  be 
come  an  unwilling  member.  So  I  reluctantly  con 
cluded  that  the  idea  of  flight  must  be  abandoned, 
unless  unforseen  circumstances  should  arise,  giving 


121 

me  a  far  better  opportunity  than  had  as  yet  offered. 
That  1  should  ever  meet  with  such  an  occasion,  how 
ever,  was  altogether  unlikely ;  and  in  time,  the  very 
thought  of  escape  was  almost  entirely  banished  from 
my  mind. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  second  year  of  my  captivity, 
the  monotony  of  my  existence  was  broken  by  a  rather 
exciting  adventure ;  and  as  it  is  the  only  experience 
of  the  kind  I  ever  met  with,  I  will  briefly  narrate  it. 

In  company  with  "Wakometkla,  I  had  gone  in  the 
early  morning  to  the  lower  end  of  the  valley  to  pro 
cure  an  herb,  called  by  the  Carnanches  "lakara," 
which  grew  in  great  abundance  along  the  sides  of  the 
cliffs.  Hitherto  we  had  been  able  to  gather  it  at  a 
short  distance  from  the  village,  but  having  used  it  in 
large  quantities,  we  had  stripped  the  shrubbery  on 
both  sides  of  the  valley  of  all  that  was  lit  for  use,  and 
were  every  day  compelled  to  go  to  a  greater  distance,  in 
order  to  obtain  it  in  sufficient  quantities.  Uence  on 
this  occasion  we  had  reached  a  distance  of  nearly  ten 
miles  from  the  village,  before  we  were  able  to  collect 
enough  for  our  purpose.  I>y  this  time  we  were  con 
siderably  fatigued  by  our  exertions,  and  sat  down  at 
the  base  of  the  cliff  to  rest  and  partake  of  such  simple 
fare  as  we  had  brought  with  us. 

While  thus  occupied,  my  attention  was  attracted  by 
an  animal  which  suddenly  appeared  upon  a  ledge  far 
above  our  heads.  A  singular  animal  it  was,  and 
would  naturally  excite  the  curiosity  of  any  one  wlio 


122 

beheld  it  for  the  first  time;  to  me,  hovcvor,  t  was 
no  stranger,  as  I  had  frequently  seen  others  of  the 
same  species  upon  the  cliffs  bordering  the  valley,  al 
though  I  had  never  before  had  so  favorable  an  oppor 
tunity  for  a  close  examination.  Commonly  known 
as  the  "Big  Ilorn"  or  "  Rocky  Mountain  Sheep,"  and 
found  inhabiting  all  the  mountain  ranges  which  di 
vide  the  continent,  it  seems  a  sort  of  cross  between 
goat  and  sheep,  having  much  of  the  appearance  of  the 
latter,  with  more  of  the  habits  of  the  former. 

Standing  upon  a  rocky  ledge  which  jutted  out 
from  the  face  of  the  cliff,  it  surveyed  u-s  with  great 
apparent  curiosity,  and  without  any  signs  of  fear.  As 
soon  as  I  perceived  it,  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  seiz 
ing  my  bow,  in  the  use  of  which  I  had  become  quite 
expert,  I  quickly  sent  an  arrow  through  the  unsus 
pecting  animal,  and  it  tumbled  headlong  from  its  lofty 
perch  and  fell  dead  at  my  feet.  Wakomctkla,  who 
had  been  rather  taken  by  surprise  by  the  suddenness 
of  my  movements,  now  came  up  to  me  and  praised 
my  skill  and  quickness;  he  then  condescended  to 
assist  me  in  skinning  and  cutting  up  the  cascass.  TVe 
then  packed  in  the  skin,  such  portions  of  the  meat  as 
we  could  carry  with  us,  and  hung  the  rest  upon  a 
tree,  high  enough  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  the  wolves 
and  coyotes,  so  that  we  could  return  or  send  for  it  if 
we  chose  to  do  so. 

I  supposed  that  we  were  to  return  at  once  to  the  vil 
lage,  but  my  companion  directed  me  to  remain,  as  he 


123 

wished  to  proceed  down  the  valley  a  short  distance, 
in  search  of  a  species  of  bark  for  which  we  had  been 
looking  during  our  ramble,  but  had  been  unable  to 
obtain.  Telling  me  that  ho  would  return  in  a  few 
minutes,  he  started  oil  and  was  soon  lost  to  view  in 
the  thicket. 

Reclining  upon  the  ground  I  filled  my  pipe  with  the 
"  k'neck  k'nick,"  or  Indian  tobacco,  and  proceeded  to 
make  myself  as  comf ortabls  as  possible.  Wakomet- 
kla's  absence  was  prolonged  far  beyond  what  I  had 
expected,  and  I  was  considering  the  advisability  of 
starting  in  search  of  him,  when  a  sound  reached  rny 
ears  as  of  some  one  breaking  through  the  undergrowth, 
and  concluding  that  it  was  my  master  returning,  I  laid 
back  and  abandoned  myself  to  the  contemplation  of 
the  blue  smoke  wreaths  that  curled  above  my  head. 
As  the  sounds  came  nearer,  I  began  to  doubt  whether 
it  could  be  Wakoinetkla  after  all,  for  his  progress 
through  the  thick  undergrowth  that  skirted  the  valley, 
was  usually  comparatively  noiseless,  but  I  was  so  ab 
sorbed  in  my  own  reflections,  that  I  did  not  give  it  a 
second  thought,  but  lazily  awaited  the  appearance  of 
the  new  comer,  whatever  he  or  it  might  be.  In  a  few 
moments  the  mystery  was  solved,  and  in  a  manner  the 
reverse  of  pleasant.  Emerging  from  the  dense  un 
dergrowth  through  which  he  had  forced  his  way,  the 
new  arrival  entered  the  little  clearing  near  whose  cen 
ter  I  was  reclining,  and  on  turning  to  discover  what 
had  occasioned  the  noises  I  had  heard,  I  beheld  an 


124 

object  that  sent  a  thrill  of  terror  to  my  heart,  and 
for  a  moment  rendered  me  incapable  of  motion.  The 
object  in  question,  was  a  large  animal,  which  I  at 
once  recognized  as  the  grizzly  bear  ;  the  most  dreaded 
of  all  creatures  that  inhabit  this  region. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TREED   BY   A    GRIZZLY. 

'HE  bear  was  one  of  the  largest  of  his  kind,  but 
it  was  not  so  much  his  size  that  impressed  me 
with  fear,  as  the  knowledge  of  his  fierce  nature. 
It  is  true,  that  personally  I  knew  but  little  of 
the  habits  of  the  animal,  although  this  was  not  my 
first  introduction  to  "old  Ephraim,"  but  from  the 
tales  of  the  Indians,  I  had  learned  enough  to  cause 
me  to  feel  certain  that  I  was  in  deadly  peril.  When 
my  eyes  first  rested  on  the  monster,  lie  had  just 
emerged  from  the  thicket  at  the  same  point  at  which 
"Wakometkla  had  entered  it.  On  reaching  the  open 
ground  he  advanced  a  pace  or  two,  and  then  halting, 
reared  himself  up  and  stood  upon  his  hind  legs,  at  the 
same  time  uttering  a  sound  which  resembled  the 
"  blowing "  of  hogs  when  suddenly  startled  in  the 
forest.  He  remained  in  this  upright  attitude  for  some 
moments,  rubbing  his  head  with  his  fore  paws  and 
playing  them  about  like  a  monkey ;  in  fact,  as  he  stood 
facing  me,  he  looked  not  unlike  a  gigantic  ape.  He 
was  of  a  yellowish  red  color,  with  legs  and  feet  nearly 
black,  but  color  is  no  characteristic  among  these  ani- 


126 

raals,  scarce  two  of  them  being  alike  in  this  particu 
lar. 

To  say  that  I  was  not  terrified  by  the  arrival  of  this 
unwelcome  intruder,  would  be  to  state  an  untruth. 
I  was  frightened,  horribly  frightened,  and  with  good 
reason.  To  suppose  that  he  would  not  attack  me 
would  have  been  absurd  ;  I  knew  that  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten,  the  grizzly  bear  is  the  assailant ;  that  no 
animal  in  America  will  willingly  engage  in  combat 
with  him,  and  that  man  himself  shuns  the  encounter, 
unless  well  inounted,  and  even  then,  the  prudent  hun 
ter  always  gives  "old  Ephraim,"  as  the  "mountain 
men  >J  call  him,  a  "  wide  berth,"  and  rides  on  without 
interfering  with  him,  unless*-  the  ground  is  perfectly 
open,  so  that  his  horse  is  not  likely  to  be  impeded. 

The  white  hunter  considers  the  killing  of  a  grizzly 
bear  a  feat  of  prowess  equal  to  the  destruction  of  two 
Indians  ;  while  to  the  Indian,  the  destruction  of  ono 
of  these  animals  is  one  of  the  greatest  feats  in  his 
life's  history.  Among  Indian  braves,  a  necklace  of 
bear's  claws  is  a  badge  of  honor,  sinoe  they  can  only 
be  worn  by  a  man  who  has  himself  slain  the  animals 
from  which  they  have  been  taken.  On  the  con 
trary,  the  grizzly  bear  fears  no  antagonist ;  he  attacks 
the  largest  animals  on  sight.  The  moose,  the  elk,  the 
buffalo,  or  wild  horse,  if  caught  is  instantly  killed. 
A  blow  from  his  paw  will  lay  open  the  flesh  as  if 
gashed  with  an  axe,  and  he  can  drag  the  body  of  a 
full  grown  buffalo,  to  almost  any  distance.  Ha 


127 

rushes  upon  man  without  the  slightest  hesitation,  and 
frequently  a  dozen  hunters  will  retreat  at  his  approach. 
Nearly  twenty  bullets  have  on  some  occasions  been 
fired  into  the  body  of  a  grizzly,  without  killing  him, 
and  only  a  shot  through  the  brain  or  heart  is  certainly 
mortal. 

With  such  sanguinary  fierceness  of  disposition  and 
extraordinary  tenacity  of  life,  it  is  no  wonder  the 
grizzly  bear  is  a  creature  to  be  dreaded.  Had  he  the 
swiftness  of  the  lion  or  tiger,  his  haunts  would  be  in 
approachable  by  man,  and  he  would  be  a  far  more 
terrible  assailant  than  either.  Fortunately,  however, 
he  is  slow  compared  with  the  horse,  although  lie  can 
easily  outrun  a  man,  and  there  is  another  peculiarity 
about  him,  which  detracts  somewhat  from  the  danger 
of  an  encounter  with  this  savage  beast,  he  is  not  a 
tree  diinber^  and  many  a  life  has  been  saved  by  this 
circumstance  ;  for  although  he  does  not  affect  the  for 
est,  there  is  usually  some  timber  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
haunts,  and  in  many  instances  his  intended  victim  has 
saved  himself  by  taking  refuge  in  a  tree. 

Knowing  well,  by  hearsay,  all  these  facts,  you  can 
easily  imagine  my  feelings,  at  finding  myself  face  to 
face  with  one  of  these  fierce  animals,  alone  and  with 
out  weapons,  save  my  bow  and  arrows  and  knife.  It 
is  true,  there  was?  abundance  of  timber  near  at  hand, 
but  unfortunately  the  bear  was  decidedly  nearer  to 
me  than  any  tree  of  sufficient  size  to  promise  a  safe 
refuge.  On  lying  down,  I  had,  without  thought, 


128 

placed  myself  in  the  veiy  center  of  the  clearing,  and 
I  found  myself  at  least  one  hundred  yards  from  any 
of  the  larger  trees  ;  the  bear  had  approached  before 
halting,  to  within  about  eighty  yards,  and  stood 
watching  me,  apparently  surprised  at  our  rencontre. 
Without  doubt  he  would  overtake  me  before  I  could 
reach  and  ascend  a  tree,  and  I  was  fairly  bewildered 
by  the  utter  helplessness  of  my  situation. 

These  reflections  occupy  many  minutes  of  your  time 
to  read ;  I  thought  them  in  as  many  seconds.  In 
deed,  I  Lad  -not  time  to  form  a  plan  of  either  defense 
or  escape,  when  my  antagonist,  evidently  concluding 
that  I  was  fair  game,  dropped  upon  all  fours,  uttered 
a  loud  roar  and  rushed  upon  *me  with  open  mouth ; 
simultaneously,  I  turned  and  fled  with  all  my  speed. 

Before  I  had  covered  half  the  distance  that  sepa 
rated  me  from  the  tree  towards  which  I  had  directed 
my  flight,  he  was  almost  at  my  heels,  and  I  had  about 
determined  to  stop  and  engage  in  the  desperate  conflict 
that  seemed  inevitable,  when  his  attention  was  at 
tracted  by  an  object  in  his  path,  and  although  the  halt 
he  made  was  but  momentary,  it  enabled  me  to  gain 
some  ground,  and  I  ran  on  with  redoubled  speed. 
The  object  in  question  was  none  other  than  the  car 
cass  of  the  "  big  horn,"  which  lay  fresh  and  bloody, 
rolled  up  in  the  skin,  directly  in  my  lino  of  flight. 
The  bear  pawed  it  over,  snatched  a  hasty  mouthful, 
and  then  resumed  the  pursuit ;  but  his  brief  hesitation 
had  been  my  salvation,  and  I  had  reached  the  tree 


129 

which  I  had  selected  before  he  could  overtake  inc. 
My  climbing  experience  gained  during  my  expe 
ditions  with  Wakometkla,  now  stood  me  in  good 
stead,  and  I  "  shinned  "  up  the  tree  with  the  agility 
of  a  monkey.  I  had  no  time  to  spare,  however,  for 
my  ursine  friend  reached  the  base  of  the  tree  before  I 
had  ascended  far  enough  to  be  entirely  out  of  reach, 
and  rearing  up,  succeeded  in  getting  a  slight  hold  of 
my  right  foot.  I  clung  to  the  tree  with  the  despera 
tion  of  despair,  and  the  moccasin  giving  way,  I  soon 
drew  myself  above  his  reach,  with  no  other  injury 
than  a  severe  scratch.  In  a  few  seconds  I  was  safely 
ensconced  among  the  branches,  about  thirty  feet  from 
the  ground,  while  my  baffled  antagonist  was  walking 
round  and  round  it,  uttering  growls  of  rage,  and 
stripping  the  bark  from  the  tree  with  his  terrible  claws. 
During  my  hasty  flight  I  had  slung  my  bow  across 
my  back,  and  had  fortunately  preserved  it  safely.  My 
quiver,  well  filled  with  arrows,  being  attached  to  my 
person  by  a  belt,  I  was  well  supplied  with  ammuni 
tion  ;  and  thinking  it  about  time  to  commence  offen 
sive  operations,  I  secured  myself  to  the  tree  with 
strips  of  leather  cut  from  my  shoulder  belt,  and  com 
menced  trying  my  skill  as  an  archer,  with  the  bear  as 
a  living  and  movable  target.  Owing  to  my  cramped 
position  in  the  tree,  my  aim  was  necessarily  uncertain, 
and  many  of  my  shafts  went  wide  of  the  mark ;  still, 
I  did  succeed  in  hitting  the  brute  several  times,  but 

with  no  other  effect  than  to  increase  his  rage  and 

9 


130 

apparent  determination  to  watch  until  he  should  tire 
me  out,  and  overcome  by  fatigue  or  sleep,  I  might 
fall  from  the  tree,  and  thus  become  an  easy  victim. 
Seeing  this,  I  desisted  after  a  while,  and  settled  my 
self  down  to  wait  as  patiently  as  I  might  for  him  to 
tire  of  his  watch,  or  for  relief  of  some  sort  to  arrive. 
Perhaps  an  hour  had  elapsed  when  I  heard  a  noise  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  clearing,  and  on  looking  in  that 
direction  I  saw  Wakometkla  just  emerging  from  the 
woods.  The  bear  saw  him  at  the  same  instant,  and 
abandoning  his  post  of  sentinel,  rushed  towards  his 
new  enemy.  The  old  Indian  waited  long  enough  to 
discharge  three  or  four  arrows  with  great  rapidity,  and 
then  ascended  the  nearest  tree* with  a  rapidity  quite 
surprising  in  a  man  of  his  age  and  build.  Two  of  his 
shots  had  taken  effect — that  is,  they  had  hit  the  bear ; 
but  they  caused  no  diminution  of  his  energy  or  fierce 
ness.  He  rushed  to  the  base  of  the  tree,  and  vented 
his  rage  in  stripping  the  bark  from  its  trunk.  Find 
ing  that  his  intended  prey  had  escaped  him,  he  soon 
desisted  from  this  occupation,  and  returning  to  the 
carcass  of  the  "  big  horn,"  began  devouring  it,  at  the 
eauie  time  keeping  a  constant  watch  upon  our  move 
ments,  so  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  our  slipping 
away.  In  spite  of  the  uncomfortable  nature  of  our 
position,  I  could  not  help  laughing  at  the  ludicrous 
picture  we  presented,  perched  in  the  trees  like  a 
couple  of  monkeys,  hardly  daring  to  move  lest  we 
might  lose  our  hold  and  tumble  into  the  clutches  of 


131 

our  unpleasant  neighbor.  The  bear  soon  finished 
his  repast,  indeed  it  was  but  a  mouthful  to  an  animal 
of  his  size  and  appetite,  and  he  commenced  walking 
back  and  forth  between  the  two  trees  in  which  we  were 
severally  ensconced,  evidently  trying  to  form  some 
plan  by  which  he  could  get  at  us.  But  his  cogitations 
apparently  resulted  in  nothing ;  and  in  fact,  we  were 
not  at  all  disturbed  as  to  the  probability  of  his  being 
able  to  reach  us.  "We  knew  that  we  were  perfectly 
safe  in  our  lofty  retreat,  but  how  long  we  might  have 
to  remain  there  was  another  matter,  and  I  for  one 
was  decidedly  wearied  of  my  airy  prison.  I  knew 
that  no  search  would  be  made  for  us  for  .several  days, 
as  we  frequently  remained  absent  two  or  three  days 
at  a  time  when  on  these  expeditions.  Our  only  hope 
was  that  our  self-appointed  jailor  might  weary  of  the 
task  he  had  set  himself,  or  be  compelled  to  go  in 
search  of  food  or  water ;  and  in  that  case  we  could 
improve  the  opportunity,  and  get  out  of  reach  without 
difficulty.  For  hour  after  hour,  however,  he  kept  up 
his  sentinel-like  tramp  from  tree  to  tree;  at  times 
varying  the  monotony  of  his  proceedings  by  frantic 
attacks  upon  their  trunks.  The  tree  to  which  1  had 
retreated  was  not  more  than  eighteen  inches  in  diam 
eter,  and  I  was  not  without  fear  at  one  tune  that  he 
would  succeed  in  demolishing  it  altogether,  and  bring 
ing  me  "down  by  the  run."  I  was  not  destined, 
however,  to  find  out  whether  he  was  able  to  accom 
plish  that  feat  or  not,  for  after  tearing  away  at  it  for 


132 

a  while,  and  making  the  splinters  fly  in  a  rather 
alarming  manner,  he  seemed  to  tire  of  it,  and  resumed 
his  patrolling  between  the  two  trees. 

The  day  had  worn  away  to  near  its  close,  and  I  was 
contemplating  the  unpleasant  prospect  before  me  of 
passing  the  night  in  my  very  uncomfortable  quarters, 
when  the  sound  of  hoof-strokes  reached  my  ears. 
Looking  out  through  the  opening,  upon  the  plain,  I 
saw  a  party  of  about  a  dozen  Indians  riding  leisurely 
up  the  valley,  evidently  one  of  the  hunting  parties  on 
their  return.  They  were  nearly  a  mile  from  our  po 
sition,  but  in  these  elevated  regions  sounds  can  bo 
heard  at  almost  incredible  distances,  and  I  at  once 
shouted  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  to  attract  their  atten 
tion.  "Wakomctkla  did  the  same,  and  we  were  evi 
dently  heard,  for  they  halted  for  a  moment,  and  after 
a  glance  in  our  direction,  galloped  towards  us.  As  they 
nearcd  us  I  expected  to  see  the  bear  take  himself  off 
without  ceremony,  but  to  my  surprise,  he  showed  no 
signs  of  such  an  intention.  On  the  contrary,  when 
they  had  passed  about  half  the  distance  at  first  sepa 
rating  us,  he  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  plain  and 
stood  as  if  inviting  attack.  The  Indians  rode  up  to 
within  a  few  rods  of  the  grizzly,  and  then  seeing  us 
in  our  haven  of  safety  they  realized  the  situation  at  a 
glance,  and  burst  into  uproarious  laughter.  This 
eeemcd  to  irritate  the  grizzly,  for  he  uttered  a  roar  of 
rage  and  rushed  fiercely  at  them  ;  then  ensued  an  ex 
citing  and  amusing  scene. 


133 

The  Indians  at  first  used  only  the  lasso,  and  in  a 
few  seconds  three  or  four  of  them  had  "  roped  him," 
and  by  spurring  up  their  horses,  he  was  dragged  first 
one  way  and  then  another,  making  frantic  efforts  to 
free  himself,  and  growling  savagely  all  the  while. 
Meanwhile  the  other  horsemen  rode  up  as  near  as 
safety  would  permit,  and  fairly  riddled  him  with 
arrows.  Overcome  by  superior  numbers,  "old  Eph," 
at  length  succumbed  to  his  fate,  and  a  few  lance 
thrusts  soon  put  an  end  to  his  existence. 

Wakometkla  and  myself  quickly  descended  from 
our  tree  fortresses  and  joined  the  party,  who  greeted 
us  with  exclamations  expressive  of  satisfaction,  at  hav 
ing  rescued  us  from  our  unpleasant  predicament.  The 
bear  was  soon  skinned  and  cut  up,  and  we  returned  to 
the  village  with  our  rescuers.  As  far  as  I  was  con 
cerned,  I  felt  -fully  satisfied  with  my  experience  as  an 
interviewer  of  grizzly  bears,  and  had  no  desire  to  re 
peat  it,  for  although  hunting  the  bear  may  be  a  pleas 
ing  pastime,  it  is  not  quite  so  pleasing  when  the  bear 
hunts  you. 

However,  "all's  well  that  ends  well,"  and  if  this 
narrative  affords  my  readers  any  amusement,  I  shall 
never  regret  my  day  spent  in  a  tree  top. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

SOAIE   CURIOUS   CUSTOMS. 

'HE  winter  had  been  unusually  severe,  in  several 
instances  snow  bad  fallen  ;  a  thing  of  rare  occur 
rence  in  these  latitudes.  Not  having  prepared 
for  such  weather,  by  laying  in  an  unusual  supply 
of  provisions,  we  were  reduced  to  the  verge  of  starva 
tion,  having  recourse  in  our  dire  extremity  to  roots 
and  berries,  which  we  dug  from  the  ground.  During 
one  week,  I  lived  solely  on  the  juice  expressed  from 
the  cactus  leaves,  which  I  procured  by  stripping  the 
plant  of  its  thorny  excrescences  and  paring  the  leaves 
with  my  knife.  The  juice  yielded  was  thick  and 
gummy,  and  of  a  sweetish  taste.  This  diet  could  not 
sustain  life  for  any  length  of  time.  Fortunately  I  had 
the  good  luck  to  discover  some  mesquite  berries,  that 
had  been  secreted  by  one  of  the  tribe.  This  discovery 
proved  my  salvation,  as  without  this  timely  addition 
of  food,  I  should  certainly  have  perished. 

During  this  season  of  hardship,  many  died  of  starva 
tion.  When  a  death  occurred,  the  family  of  the 
deceased  would  yield  themselves  up  to  the  most  heart 
rending  grief.  Their  lamentations  would  succeed  in 
attracting  a  crowd  of  sympathizing  mourners  who 


135 

would  join  the  family,  and  by  indulging  in  yells, 
groans,  and  screeches,  convert  the  whole  scene  into  the 
most  hideous  travesty,  which  did  violence  to  all  those 
feelings  of  awe  and  solemnity,  that  are  experienced  by 
viewing  the  last  sad  rites  of  Christian  burial. 

When  an  Indian  dies,  his  body  is  painted,  oiled,  and 
dressed  in  its  best  attire,  a  fresh  buffalo  skin  (if  it  is 
to  be  had),  and  failing  this,  a  blanket  is  wound  tightly 
around  the  body,  and  bound  with  thongs,  then  other 
blankets  are  soaked  in  water  until  they  become  very 
soft  and  elastic,  when  they  also  are  wound  around  the 
body  with  great  care  and  exactness,  so  as  to  exclude 
the  air.  This  done,  the  dead  warrior's  arms  are  placed 
by  liis  side  and  a  liberal  supply  of  food  (when  the 
article  is  plenty),  placed  on  the  scaffold. 

These  scaffolds  are  constructed  by  placing  three 
upright  posts  in  the  ground  in  the  shape  of  a  parallelo 
gram,  and  connecting  them  by  lateral  bars.  Over 
these  bars  are  placed  a  number  of  willow  rods,  on  which 
the  body  rests,  in  such  a  position  that  the  feet  will  bo 
towards  the  rising  sun.  The  scaffolds  are  placed  high 
enough  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  dogs  and  wolves,  yet 
not  so  high  as  to  be  inaccessible  to  t3ie  family,  some 
portion  of  whom  visit  it  daily,  bringing  food  and  water, 
which  they  place  near  the  head  of  the  corpse.  The 
spirit  is  supposed  to  be  in  need  of  this  sustenance  on 
his  journey  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds.  Once 
there,  his  spear,  bow,  and  arrows  will  enable  him  t> 
kill  game  in  plenty. 


136 

Wlien  the  scaffolds  decay  and  fall,  the  relatives  col 
lect  the  bones  and  bury  them.  The  skull,  which  by 
this  time  has  become  perfectly  bleached  and  purified, 
is  taken  and  placed  among  a  number  of  others  which 
form  a  circle,  the  faces  turned  inward  and  facing  a 
large  shaft,  around  which  is  heaped  a  quantity  of 
buffalo  skulls.  In  this  position  they  are  preserved  for 
years,  the  objects  of  religious  veneration.  The  scaf 
folds  of  the  chiefs  are  distinguished  from  the  others  by 
pieces  of  red  or  blue  cloth  which  are  thrown  over  the 
bodies. 

A  party  had  been  dispatched  in  search  of  food,  and 
were  expected  back  hourly.  ^'IIow  anxiously  we 
awaited  their  arrival  none  may  know,  who  have  not 
suffered  the  pangs  of  hunger.  At  last  they  made 
their  appearance,  bringing  with  them  a  quantity  of 
berries  called  by  the  Indians  oth-to-toa.  This  berry 
was  pleasanter  to  taste  than  the  mesquite.  The  juice, 
when  extracted  and  mixed  with  water,  tasted  very 
much  like  the  orange. 

In  one  of  my  strolls  I  had  observed  some  blackbirds, 
and  in  the  hope  of  finding  their  nests,  I  was  induced 
to  wander  to  a  greater  distance  from  the  village  than 
I  had  been  at  any  previous  time.  My  search  wa-s  re 
warded  by  a  quantity  of  eggs,  and  filling  my  Indian 
shirt  with  as  many  as  I  could  carry,  I  retraced  rny 
steps. 

In  struggling  through  the  tangled  underbrush,  I 
lost  my  way,  and  after  wandering  about  for  some  time 


137 

in  the  hope  of  finding  the  path,  I  carne  to  a  srnaL 
spring  that  was  bubbling  up  from  a  crevice  in  the 
rock. 

The  night  had  closed  in  rapidly,  and,  finding  it  was 
too  dark  to  prosecute  my  journey  further,  I  concluded 
to  remain  here  for  the  remainder  of  the  night.  Gath 
ering  a  few  dried  leaves,  I  soon  had  a  fire  lighted,  and 
then  securing  enough  brush  to  last  me  until  dawn,  I  set 
about  preparing  my  supper,  which  was  merely  roasted 
eggs.  This  frugal  meal  was  soon  dispatched,  and  heap 
ing  more  wood  on  the  fire,  I  selected  a  dry  spot,  and 
stretching  my  tired  limbs,  was  soon  in  a  sound  slum 
ber.  How  long  I  slept  I  know  not,  but  I  was  awak 
ened  by  peals  of  thunder  and  flashes  of  the  most  vivid 
lightning.  These  sounds  were  unusual  in  this  coun 
try,  as  rain  rarely  fell  in  these  latitudes. 

Should  a  storm  of  any  magnitude  pour  its  waters 
through  the  gorge  in  which  I  then  was,  I  felt  my 
position  would  be  perilous  in  the  extreme.  I  gathered 
up  my  supplies,  that  were  collected  at  such  an  expen 
diture  of  labor,  and  scrambled  over  rocks  and  through 
sand  towards  the  side  of  the  mountain.  I  had  not 
gone  far  when  the  rain  commenced — first  in  large 
drops,  and  then  in  a  steady  patter ;  before  many  min 
utes  the  storm  burst  upon  the  mountain  in  all  its 
fury.  The  rain  fell  in  sheets,  and  literally  deluged 
surrounding  objects.  My  resting  place  was  becoming 
untenable,  and  my  life  was  momentarily  imperiled  by 
huge  masses  of  falling  rock,  which  had  been  loosened 


138 

from  its  bed  and  came  tearing  down  the  mountain 
side,  carrying  all  before  it.  Shi  elding-  myself  behind 
trees  and  boulders,  I  climbed  upwards,  in  the  hope  of 
finding  a  more  permanent  shelter  than  that  afforded 
by  the  stumps  of  trees.  The  rain  continued  to  pour 
down  with  increasing  fury,  and  anon  the  vivid  flash 
quickly  followed  by  the  startling  roar  of  the  thunder, 
and  the  noise  of  the  seething  flood,  which  by  this 
time  was  bounding  through  the  cation,  conspired  to 
make  the  scene  more  terrible.  Almost  despairing, 
and  thoroughly  drenched,  I  was  about  yielding  myself 
up  to  the  fury  of  the  tempest,  when  my  eye  fell  upon 
what  appeared  to  be  a  crevice  in  the  rock.  Hastily 
making  towards  it,  I  entered.  The  deeper  I  penetrat 
ed  the  larger  it  became,  and  I  found  myself  at  last 
snugly  ensconced  within  the  recesses  of  a  vast 


t> 
cave. 


Congratulating  myself  on  this  good  fortune,  I  was 
about  preparing  to  resume  my  rudely  interrupted  slum 
ber,  when  I  was  startled  by  the  sight  of  two  glaring 
eyes  that  were  peering  at  me  from  the  depth  of  the 
cave.  Here  was  a  dilemma.  I  had  certainly  intruded 
on  some  wild  animal,  and  penetrated  its  lair.  My  sit 
uation  became  unpleasant  in  the  extreme.  Turn  in 
whichever  direction  I  might,  those  fiery  eyes  followed 
me,  arid  at  lust  I  found  that  1  was  being  subjected  to 
the  influence  of  a  horrible  fascination. 

My  unpleasant  experience  with  "  old  Eph  "  recur 
red  to  me  with  more  force  than  pleasure ;  and  the 


139 

. 

thought  tli at  I  might  have  to  deal  with  a  grizzly, 
made  doubly  ferocious  by  being  bearded  in  his  den, 
caused  the  cold  perspiration  to  stand  out  in  beads 
upon  my  forehead.  Suddenly  I  was  startled  by  a  roar 
that  echoed  through  the  cave.  Those  piercing  eyes 
approached  nearer.  Mad  with  fright,  I  rushed  to  tho 
mouth  of  the  cave,  and  began  a  headlong  descent 
down  the  steep  banks  of  the  cliff.  In  my  wild  scram 
ble  I  dislodged  stones  and  brush,  which  came  tum 
bling  precipitately  after  me,  and  I  also  heard  another 
noise  which  struck  terror  to  my  heart ;  it  was  the 
foot  stroke  of  the  infuriated  animal  that  was  pursuing 
me ! 

Xot  knowing  whither  I  was  going,  but  actuated  by 
the  sole  desire  to  escape  from  this  new  danger,  I  very 
shortly  found  myself  nearing  the  swollen  river  that 
was  bounding  through  the  cafion.  There  was  no  al 
ternative,  and,  bracing  myself  for  a  final  effort,  I 
plunged  into  the  swollen  stream  and  breasted  the 
waves,  hoping  to  reach  a  rock  that  raised  its  head 
above  the  water,  about  an  hundred  yards  down  the 
stream  ;  struggle  as  I  might,  I  felt  the  rapid  current 
sweeping  me  on  with  the  rapidity  of  an  avalanche. 
Should  I  reach  it  or  be  borne  down  the  torrent,  and 
be  dashed  to  pieces  against  some  hidden  boulder  ? 
Serving  myself  for  one  grand  effort,  I  breasted  the 
current,  and,  to  my  joy,  found  I  was  nearing  the  rock  ; 
striking  out  with  the  strength  of  despair  I  reach  the 
refuge — the  waves  dash  me  against  its  sides — I  clutch 


140 

at  the  jagged  ends  that  project  out  of  the  water,  and 
by  their  aid  clamber  out  of  the  reach  of  immediate 
danger ! 

Finding  myself  safe,  I  look  about  me.  The  first 
object  that  attracts  my  attention  is  the  lithe  form  of 
my  pursuer  who  is  running  up  and  down  the  bank 
lashing  his  tail  in  fury,  and  occasionally  breaking 
forth  in  the  most  savage  roars.  In  itc  yellow  coat 
and  cat-like  movements  I  recognize  the  dreaded  cou 
gar — the  tiger  of  the  western  mountains — an  animal 
that,  when  once  aroused,  will  not  hesitate  to  attack 
man  or  beast.  lie  seemed  to  be  deliberating  whether 
to  follow  me  into  the  stream.  It  was  olain  he  disliked 
entering  the  water,  and  after*  pacing  to  and  fro  for 
some  little  time,  turned  abruptly  and  left  the  bank. 
Thinking  I  had  achieved  a  victory,  and  finding  that 
now  I  was  safe,  my  courage  was  assuming  a  very  bold 
front ;  I  picked  up  a  stone  and  threw  it  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  beast.  Foolish  action  !  It  hit  the  cougar, 
and  turning,  he  now  rushed  to  the  bank,  and,  bellow 
ing  with  rage,  plunged  into  the  river.  My  position 
now  became  critical  in  the  extreme.  Once  the  rock 
was  gained,  I  would  certainly  be  mangled  by  the  fierce 
creature.  I  could  not  take  llight  by  water,  as  he  could 
easily  overtake  me. 

My  terror  was  extreme,  and  I  lost  the  power  of 
will.  Fright  had  rnado  ine  imbecile,  and  I  rushed 
about  the  crest  of  the  rock  like  a  crazy  man.  All 
this  time  the  enraged  brute  drew  nearer ;  his  pawa 


HI 

touch  the  base  of  the  rock ;  he  is  in  the  act  of  drawii  g 
his  dripping  limbs  out  of  the  water. 

Mouth  open,  tongue  extended,  ami  eyes  in3amjd 
with  rage,  the  cougar  prepares  for  the  deadly  spring. 
But  look  1  the  surface  of  the  rock  moves,  gives  way, 
and  slides  with  a  gentle  motion  towards  the  river.  He 
makes  a  desperate  effort  to  free  himself  from  this  natu-. 
ral  trap,  but  in  vain  ;  the  rock  moves  faster  every  mo 
ment,  and  "Nvith  one  grand  rush  this  land  slide  is  en 
gulfed  in  the  turbid  waters.  Instantly  the  body  is 
thrown  back  into  the  seething  flood,  and  my  last  vie\v 
of  him  is  as  he  turns  a  bend  and  disappears  forever. 

After  waiting  several  hours  for  the  waters  to  sub 
side,  I  am  enabled  to  wade  to  the  opposite  shore,  and, 
discovering  my  own  trail  by  accident,  wend  iny  way 
back  to  the  village. 

My  adventure  is  related  to  Wakomctkla,  and  soon 
spreads  throughout  the  village.  From  this  time  forth 
I  am  regarded  in  the  light  of  a  hero,  but  on  what 
grounds  I  w»as  never  able  to  satisfactorily  determine, 
as  I  could  scarcely  consider  running  away  from  a  dan 
ger  heroic. 


CHAPTER   XYH. 

THE   BUFFALO   DANCE. 

'HE  builalo  being  the  main  dependence  of  the 
Camanches  for  food,  it  naturally  follows  that 
they  are  fully  alive  to  the  importance  of  securing 
an  abundant  supply  of  vmeat  during  the  season 
in  which  these  animals  migrate  to  the  southern 
prairies. 

The  superstition  which  forms  so  large  a  part  of  the 
Indian  character  is  especially  noticeable  in  the  cere 
monies  in  which  they  engage  eveiy  year  for  the  pur 
pose  of  securing  a  successful  hunt.  This  ceremony, 
although  not  peculiar  to  any  special  tribe,  is  a  very 
novel  one,  and  may  be  of  interest  to  the  reader.  Like 
all  other  tribes,  the  Carnanches  lead  lives  of  idleness 
and  leisure,  and  consequently  devote  a  great  deal  of 
time  to  their  sports  and  ainuoernents,  of  which  they 
have  a  great  variety. 

Of  these  dancing  is  one  of  the  principal,  and  may 
be  seen  in  a  variety  of  forms. 

Among  these  are  the  scalp  dance,  the  boasting 
dance,  the  buffalo  dance,  and  a  dozen  other  dances,  all 


143 

Qf  which  have  their  peculiar  characters  and  meanings 
or  objects. 

These  exercises  are  extremely  grotesque  in  their 
appearance,  and  to  the  looker-on,  who  knows  not  their 
meaning  or  importance,  they  are  an  uncouth  and 
frightful  display  of  starts,  jumps,  and  yelps,. and  jar 
ring  gutturals,  which  to  a  stranger  are  truly  terrifying. 

But  when  one  gives  them  a  little  attention,  and 
becomes  initiated  into  their  mysterious  meaning, 
they  become  a  subject  of  the  most  intense  and  thril 
ling  interest. 

Each  dance  has  its  peculiar  step,  and  every  step  has 
its  meaning.  Each  dance  also  has  its  peculiar  song, 
and  that  is  frequently  so  intricate  and  mysterious, 
that  not  one  in  ten  of  the  young  men  who  are  dancing 
and  singing  it  know  the  meaning  of  the  song  they  are 
chanting  over.  Kone  but  the  medicine  men  aro 
allowed  to  understand  them;  and  even  they  are 
generally  only  initiated  into  the  secret  on  the  payment 
of  a  liberal  stipend  for  their  instruction,  which  requires 
much  application  and  study. 

There  is  evidently  a  set  song  and  sentiment  for 
every  dance,  for  the  songs  are  perfectly  measured  and 
sung  in  exact  time  with  the  beat  of  the  drum ;  and 
always  with  a  uniform  set  of  sounds  and  expressions, 
which  plainly  indicate  certain  sentiments,  which  are 
expressed  by  the  voice,  though  sometimes  not  given, 
in  any  language  whatever.  They  have  other  dances 
and  songs  which  are  not  so  intricate  or  mysterious, 


144 

< 
and  which  are  understood  by  every  person  in  the 

tribe,  being  snug  in  their  own  language. 

Some  of  these  have  much  poetry  in  them,  being 
perfectly  metred,  but  without  rhyme. 

It  is  of  the  buffalo  dance,  however,  that  I  propose 
to  treat  in  this  chapter,  and  of  which  I  will  try  to  give 
the  reader  as  clear  an  idea  as  is  possible  from  a  mere 
description ;  but  no  words  of  mine  can  enable  you  :o 
fully  realize  the  strange  tumult,  scampering,  gruntir  g 
and  bellowing  with  which  my  ears  have  been  so  often 
assailed. 

The  buffalo  is  essentially  a  wandering  creature, 
congregating  at  times  in  huge  herds,  and  roaming 
from  north  to  south  or  from  east  to  west,  apparently 
without  any  directing  impulse,  but  in  reality  in  search 
of  forage.  Although  their  movement  to  the  south 
ward  usually  takes  place  at  a  stated  season  of  the  year, 
it  varies  greatly  in  the  number  who  take  part  in  it. 
Hence  it  sometimes  happens  that  the  Camanches  are 
unable  to  procure  their  necessary  supply  of  meat,  and 
in  some  cases,  when  the  migration  occurs  at  a  later 
period  than  usual,  the  Indians  find  themselves  prac 
tically  -without  food,  and  disastrous  seasons  of  famine 
ensue.  This  involves  the  sending  forth  of  expeditions 
in  search  of  the  tardy  herds.  These  hunting  parties, 
having  to  pass  through  the  country  occupied  by  other 
tribes,  arc  almost  certain  to  be  assailed  and  harassed 
by  them,  and  sometimes  compelled  to  return  with  the 
loss  of  many  of  their  number,  and  without  accom- 


145 

plishing  the  object  of  the  expedition.  Hence  the  In 
dians  are  loth  to  undertake  these  hunts,  and  prefer  to 
depend  upon  the  means  which  their  superstition  leads 
them  to  believe  will  have  the  effect  of  bringing  the 
buffaloes  within  their  hunting  grounds. 

This  is  nothing  more  than  the  buffalo  dance,  and 
when  the  emergency  arises,  every  Indian  musters  and 
brings  out  his  mask  (the  skin  of  a  buffalo's  head,  with 
the  horns  on),  which  he  is  obliged  to  keep  in  readi 
ness  for  this  occasion.  Then  commences  the  buffalo 
dance,  which  is  held  for  the  purpose  of  making 
u  buffalo  come,"  as  the  Indians  term  it,  or,  in  other 
words,  of  inducing  the  buffalo  herds  to  change  their 
feeding  grounds,  and  direct  their  course  towards  the 
vast  prairies  to  the  eastward  of  the  Camanche  villages, 
where  the  young  braves  can  shoot  them  down,  and  tlie 
tribe  be  enabled  to  procure  an  abundant  supply  of 
food. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  year  the  hunters  can 
find  the  buffaloes  within  twenty  miles  of  the  village,  and 
entirely  within  their  own  territory ;  but  in  some  sea 
sons  the  young  men  range  as  far  about  the  country  as 
they  can  safely  venture  on  •  account  of  their  enemies, 
without  finding  meat.  "When  this  intelligence  ia 
brought  back  to  the  village,  the  chiefs,  medicine  men. 
and  counselors  sit  in  solemn  council  until  they  have 
decided  upon  the  most  practicable  expedient  for  over 
coming  the  difficulty,  and  they  rarely  fail  to  decide 

upon  the  old  and  only  expedient,  which  has  never 
10 


H6 

failed.  The  chief  issues  his  orders  to  the  runners  or 
criers,  who  quickly  proclaim  it  throughout  the  villago, 
and  in  a  few  moments  all  are  assembled  to  take  part 
in  the  dance,  which  at  once  begins.  The  place  wheie 
this  strange  performance  is  carried  on  is  the  public 
area  in  the  center  of  the  village,  directly  in  front  c-f 
the  temple. 

About  ten  or  fifteen  Indians  join  in  the  dance  at  a 
time,  each  with  the  skin  of  the  buffalo  head,  with  the 
horns  on,  placed  on  his  head,  and  armed  with  his 
lance  or  bow,  with  which  he  is  accustomed  to  krl 
these  animals.  I  have  said  that  this  dance  always  has 
the  desired  effect  of  making  ."  buffalo  come."  It  never 
fails,  from  the  simple  reason* that  when  it  is  once  begun 
it  cannot  be  stopped,  but  is  kept  up  incessantly  night 
and  day  until  the  welcome  herds  are  descried  by  tho 
watchful  look-outs.  Drums  are  beaten  and  rattles 
shaken,  songs  and  yells  are  continually  shouted,  and 
lookers  on  stand  ready,  with  masks  on  their  heads  and 
weapons  in  their  hands,  to  take  the  place  of  each 
dancer  who  becomes  fatigued  and  falls  out  of  the 
ring. 

A  chain  of  look-outs  is  established  connecting  the 
hills  surrounding  the  village  with  those  to  the  east 
ward,  and  the  moment  buffaloes  are  discovered  by  the 
distant  watchers,  they  speedily  pass  the  signal  from 
one  to  another  until  it  reaches  the  -village.  It  is  in 
stantly  understood  by  the  whole  tribe,  and  the  joyful 
intelligence  is  received  with  shouts  of  thanks  to  their 


147 

strange  god  and  to  mystery  men  and  the  dancers,  who 
have  been  the  immediate  cause  of  the  successful  result. 

During  my  residence  in  the  Cainanehe  village,  theso 
dances  were  sometimes  kept  up  for  two  or  three  weeks 
without  intermission,  until  the  builaloes  made  their 
appearance. 

Hence  the  buffalo  dance  can  never  fail,  and  the  In 
dians  consider  it  an  infallible  means  of  brin{nn£  the 

O        O 

herds  into  their  country  Every  man  in  the  tribe  is 
obliged  to  be  provided  with  the  mask  of  the  buffalo, 
which  he  can  use  whenever  he  is  called  upon  to  dance 
to  make  "  buifalo  come."  The  mask  is  put  on  over  the 
head,  and  has  a  strip  of  the  skin  hanging  to  it  of  the 
whole  length  of  the  animal,  with  the  tail  attached  to 
it,  which  passes  down  over  the  back  of  the  wearer  and 
drags  on  the  ground. 

When  one  of  the  dancers  becomes  wearied  of  the 
exercise,  he  indicates  it  by  leaning  forward  and  sink 
ing  his  body  to  the  ground.  One  of  the  lookers-on 
then  draws  a  bow  upon  him  and  hits  him  with  a  blunt 
arrow,  and  he  foils  like  a  buffalo  and  is  immediately 
dragged  out  of  the  ring  by  the  by-standers,  who  bran 
dish  their  knives  about  him,  and,  having  gone  through 
the  motions  of  skinning  him  and  cutting  him  up,  they 
release  him,  and  his  place  is  at  once  supplied  by  an 
other  who  dances  into  the  ring  with  his  mask  on.  By 
thus  relieving  one  another  the  dance  is  kept  up  day 
and  night  until  they  reach  the  desired  end,  and  make 
the  "  buffalo  come." 


148 

When  the  signal  is  given  that  the  buffaloes  hrve 
made  their  appearance,  the  dance  is  discontinued  at 
once,  and  a  scene  of  great  excitement  ensues.  The 
masks  are  quickly  thrown  aside  ;  the  Indians  prepare 
for  the  hunt  with  marvelous  rapidity,  and  mounting 
their  horses,  gallop  wildly  down  the  valley  to  pass 
the  eastern  entrance. 

In  the  village,  where  all  had  been  enduring  the  ut 
most  privation,  with  starvation  staring  them  in  the 
face,  a  scene  of  feasting  and  carousal  would  follow. 
Each  would  bring  out  their  private  stores,  and  the 
provisions  that  might  in  an  emergency  have  lasted  for 
several  weeks  would  be  consumed  in  a  day.  Even  the 
dogs  were  not  forgotten,  *but  received  a  liberal  share 
of  the  refuse  portions  of  the  feast. 

The  usual  games  and  amusements  followed,  and 
from  the  deepest  gloom  and  despondency  all  seemed 
to  pass  at  once  to  the  other  extreme,  and  joy  and  ex 
ultation  to  reign  supreme. 

From  the  distance  required  to  be  traversed,  the  hunt 
ing  parties  would  usually  not  return  until  the  third 
day  after  their  departure.  Then  came  another  scene 
of  feasting,  but  this  time  on  a  far  larger  scale.  The 
choicest  pieces  are  sacrificed  to  appease  their  mysteri 
ous  god,  without  which  ceremony  .the  Indians  believe 
that  all  their  future  hunts  would  be  unsuccessful.  The 
largest  portion  of  the  meat  is  cured  and  made  into  tasa- 
jo,  so  that  the  proceeds  of  one  successful  hunt  will  often 
provide  the  entire  community  with  food  for  many  weeks. 


149 

"Wlxeii  I  first  saw  the  buffalo  dance,  I  viewed  it  with 
much  interest,  but  when  continued  for  days  and  weeks, 
it  becomes  excessively  wearisome  from  the  perpetual 
howling  din  and  clamor  kept  up,  keeping  the  village 
in  a  continual  uproar,  and  usually  causing  me  to  offer 
up  most  fervent  prayers  that  the  buffalo  would  "  come," 
if  it  was  only  to  be  relieved  from  the  noise  and  eon- 
fusion  which  are  occasioned  by  this  curious  ceremony. 

Unlike  the  northern  Indians,  the  Camanches  resort 
to  the  buffalo  dance  only  on  rare  occasions,  but  when 
they  do  undertake  it,  their  persistence  is  admirable ; 
and  for  this  reason,  the  other  tribes  have  a  saying,  or 
sort  of  proverb,  that  when  the  Camanches  dance  for 
"  buffalo  "  it  is  a  good  moon  to  hunt,  but  a  bad  moon 
on  the  war-path.  Their  meaning  probably  is,  that  the 
buffalo  are  sure  to  "come,"  when  the  Carnanchea 
dance  for  them,  but  that  the  Camanches  are  equally 
sure  to  "go  for"  any  other  tribe  who  encroach  upon 
their  hunting  grounds  at  such  times. 

Such  is  the  buffalo  dance  ;  one  of  the  most  curious 
of  the  many  strange  customs  of  the  prairie  Indians. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A    STRANGE    HISTORY. 

of  the  most  noted  warriors  of  Tonsaroyco's 
band  was  a  pure  blooded  Mexican.  A  man  of 
W&  medium  size,  but  athletic  and  well -proportion  3d, 

w  and  not  more  than  thirty  years  of  age ;  he  was 
distinguished  even  among  these  savages  for  his  cruelty, 
nay,  even  ferocity  of  disposition,  and  lust  for  blood 
shed. 

Ilis  position  in  the  tribe  was  that  of  a  sub-chief,  and 
he  had  attached  to  himself  a  chosen  body  of  about 
sixty  warriors,  all  men  of  bad  standing  and  little 
character  in  the  tribe,  but  all  noted  as  desperate 
fighters. 

With  this  party  "  Hisso-dc-cha  "  (the  Spanish  Ser 
pent),  might  be  said  to  be  on  a  perpetual  war-path, 
for  he  was  never  contented  to  remain  idly  in  the  village 
for  any  length  of  time,  but  was  continually  instituting 
private  forays  in  all  directions.  In  these  operations 
he  was  in  no  wise  particular  as  to  the  objects  of  his 
attacks.  Plunder  and  slaughter  being  apparently  his 
only  motive,  he  would  attack  any  party  he  met  with 
that  was  not  too  numerous,  and  in  this  way  had  several 


151 

times  embroiled  the  Camanclies  in  war  with  friendly 
tribes,  despite  the  stern  reproofs  he  received  from 
Tonsaroyoo  for  Ills  lawless  conduct ;  his  uniform  good 
fortune  in  these  enterprises,  however,  had  thus  far 
prevented  him  from  falling  into  entire  disrepute  with 
the  leaders  of  the  tribe. 

"  Success  covers  a  multitude  of  sins,"  says  the  pro 
verb,  and  so  it  proved  in  his  case. 

Notwithstanding  his  evil  nature,  I  was  for  various 
reasons  strongly  attracted  towards  this  man.  Chief 
among  these  was  the  fact  that  he  spoke  English — not 
very  fluently,  it  is  true,  but  sufficiently  to  be  able  to 
carry  on  a  conversation  without  ranch  difficulty. 
Then,  from  the  time  of  my  first  entry  into  the  village 
he  had  treated  me  with  uniform  kindness ;  why  this 
was  so  I  know  not,  but  the  fact  remains  that  he  did 
so,  and  it  was  by  his  assistance  that  I  was  enabled  to 
perfect  myself  in  the  Indian  language,  and  also  to 
gain  some  knowledge  of  Spanish,  which  afterwards 
did  me  good  service.  Much  of  my  spare  time,  when 
he  was  not  absent  with  his  band,  I  spent  in  his  com 
pany,  and  in  our  talks  I  had  gained  considerable 
knowledge  of  his  past  history.  What  I  had  heard, 
however,  only  made  me  more  curious  to  hear  the 
whole,  and  one  evening  I  importuned  him  to  give  me 
some  account  of  his  past  life.  After  some  hesitation 
he  consented,  and  filling  our  pipes,  we  reclined  upon 
a  buffalo  robe  before  the  entrance  to  his  lodge,  while 
he  told  me  his  story. 


152 


THE  RENEGADE'S  HISTORY. 

"  My  real  name  is  Pedro  Yargas — carrai  !  it  sour  ad 
Btrarige  enough  in  my  ears  now,  for  it  is  many  years 
since  I  have  heard  it  uttered. 

"  I  was  born  on  the  banks  of  the  Del  Norte,  whore 
my  father  was  a  vaquero  on  the  estate  on  Don  Ramon 
d'Echeverra.  I  remember  but  little  of  my  childhood, 
except  that  my  life  was  a  hard  and  unhappy  one,  ibr 
I  was  one  of  eleven  children,  and  we  were  niiseral  ly 
poor.  When  I  reached  my  eighth  year,  I  was  con 
sidered  old  enough  to  assist  rny  father  in  his  daily  du 
ties  ;  under  his  tuition,  I  was  able  in  a  few  months  to 
ride  like  a  Camanche,  to  fling  the  lazo  with  unerring 
aim,  and  to  perform  with  credit  most  of  the  drudgery 
which  fell  to  my  share.  In  this  manner  the  time 
passed  until  I  was  about  eleven  years  of  age,  when  the 
events  occurred  which  separated  me  from  home  and 
friends,  and  indirectly  made  me  what  I  am— the  bold 
est  warrior  of  the  Hietans  — "  Hissoo-de-cha,"  the 
renegade,  the  terror  of  the  frontier. 

O  ' 

"  The  estate  of  Don  Rain  on  was  situated  so  far  down 
the  river  as  to  be  out  of  the  track  of  the  Indian  raid 
ing  parties,  and  for  a  generation  the  red-skinned  war 
riors  had  never  troubled  that  region.  But  in  the 
autumn  of  the  year  of  which  I  speak,  a  large  party  of 
Camanches  had  entered  Chihuahua,  and  penetrating 
almost  to  the  very  center  of  the  province,  had  thero 
met  with  a  severe  reverse,  and  were  compelled  to 


153 

retreat  without  plunder,  scalps  or  captives.  Kot 
daring  to  return  to  their  village  empty-handed,  for,  as 
you  know,  the  very  squa\vs  would  have  hooted  them, 
they  recrossed  the  Grande  above  San  Vicente,  made  a 
wide  detour,  and  coming  down  the  Pecos,  again 
entered  Mexican  territory,  and  made  a  flying  raid 
upon  the  river  towns. 

"  From  its  remoteness  from  the  usual  scene  of  these 
Indian  forays,  the  inhabitants  of  this  region  were 
resting  in  fancied  security,  and  had  made  no  prepara 
tions  to  resist  such  an  attack.  As  a  natural  conse 
quence,  they  fell  an  easy  prey  to  the  savage  invaders. 

"  The  rancheria  of  Don  Hamon  was  one  of  the  first 
attacked,  and  the  proud  old  Don  and  his  three  son,*, 
with  most  of  their  rancheros  and  vanqueros,  were 
surprised  and  slaughtered.  Of  my  own  family,  my 
sister  Conchita,  a  girl  of  sixteen,  and  myself,  alone 
escaped  death;  and  we,  with  many  other  captives, 
were  hurried  off  in  charge  of  a  small  detachment  of 
Cainanehes.  Of  the  journey  to  this  village  I  need  not 
tell  you,  as  you  have,  perhaps,  passed  through  a  simi 
lar  experience. 

"  On  our  arrival  here,  my  sister  soon  became  the  wife 
of  a  chief,  and  to  this  circumstance  I  was  indebted  for 
much  better  treatment  than  usually  falls  to  the  lot  of 
a  captive.  And  here  let  me  tell  you  that  your  own 
escape  from  torture  and  death  was  little  less  than 
inirculaous.  In  my  long  experience  with  the  tribe,  I 
have  never  known  of  a  similar  incident.  But  Wako- 


metkla  is  a  very  singular  man,  and  so  greatly  is  he 
reverenced  by  his  nation,  tliat  he  can  do  many  thin  ?Q 
which  Tonsaroyoo  himself  would  hesitate  to  under 
take. 

"Carranibo,  but  this  story-telling  is  dry  work.  S>3e 
if  there  be  not  a  flask  of  mezcal  within  the  lodge. 
Caval — you  have  found  it?  So — that  is  better;"  ar  d 
my  strange  companion,  having  swallowed  a  copious 
draft  of  the  fiery  liquid,  resumed  his  narrative : 

"  The  first  two  years  of  my  captivity  were  compari- 
tively  without  incident,  but  at  the  beginning  of  tl  e 
third  year  I  was  formally  adopted  into  the  tribe.  As 
you  yourself  have  gone  through  the  ceremony,  it  is 
imneccssary  to  describe  it,  but  as  the  circumstances  in 
my  case  were  somewhat  different  from  yours,  I  found 
myself  on  an  .equality  with  such  of  the  young  braves 
as  had  never  been  on  the  war-path. 

"  A  few  months  later  1  joined  a  war  party  led  by  ooe 
of  the  subordinate  chiefs,  and  during  the  expedition  I 
was  fortunate  enough  to  take  two  scalps.  This  at 
once  constituted  me  a  warrior,  and,  liking  the  excite 
ment  and  adventurous  life,  I  soon  became  noted 
among  the  young  men  of  the  tribe.  I  joined  every 
war  party,  and,  being  singularly  fortunate,  eoon 
gained  distinction  as  well  as  scalps  and  plunder.  By 
the  time  I  was  twenty  years  of  age,  I  was  admitted  to 
be  one  of  the  first  warriors  of  the  nation,  and  had 
attracted  to  myself  a  number  of  the  more  reckless 
epirits,  who  would  follow  anywhere  that  I  would  lead. 


155 

"1  had  long  been  desirous  of  taking  the  command  of 
a  war  party,  thinking  thereby  to  gain  notoriety,  and 
if  fortunate  enough  to  be  unusually  successful,  I  might 
thereafter  be  entrusted  with  the  leadership  of  expe 
ditions  of  more  importance. 

"  I  had  frequently  importuned  Tonsaroyoo,  then  as 
now  the  head  chief  of  the  nation^  to  allow  me  to 
undertake  such  an  enterprise,  but  up  to  th:s  time  ho 
had  persistently  refused  to  do  so. 

"  Finding  that  I  could  not  obtain  his  permission,  I 
determined  to  do  without  it,  and  secretly  assembled 
those  warriors' on  whose  fidelity  and  silence  I  could 
rely.  I  made  known  to  them  my  plans,  and  succeed 
ed  in  inducing  about  thirty  braves  to  take  part  in  the 
rash  undertaking. 

O 

"  Leaving  the  village  under  the  pretense  of  hunting, 
we  crossed  the  "  Llano  Estacado,"  to  the  head  waters 
of  the  Pecos ;  and  descending  that  stream  nearly  to 
its  mouth,  diverged  to  the  west  and  crossed  the  Rio 
Grande.  We  traveled  by  night  and  remained  con 
cealed  during  the  day,  and  by  the  exercise  of  the  ut 
most  caution,  succeeded  in  evading  the  Lipans  and 
Cayguas,  through  whose  territory  we  had  to  pass.  1 
had  laid  all  my  plans  before  leaving  the  viLage,  and 
was  quite  confident  that  the  raid  would  be  a  success 
ful  one.  It  was  my  intention  to  attack  only  the 
haciendas,  and  if  possible  to  effect  my  object  by  sur 
prise,  for  1  knew  that  if  I  could  return  without  the 
loss  of  a  man,  with  a  few  scalps  and  a  moderate 


156 

amount  of  plunder,  I  would  receive  far  more  praiso 
than  if  I  had  brought  back  twice  as  much  booty,  but 
with  the  loss  of  one  or  more  warriors. 

"  After  crossing  the  river,  the  first  hacienda  withi:i 
reach  was  that  which  had  been  my  former  home.  It 
had  passed  into  the  possession  of  Don  Rafael  d'Echev- 
erra,  the  brother  .of  Don  Ramon,  and  presented  much 
the  same  appearance  as  in  former  times.  Unfortu 
nately  for  the  success  of  my  project,  there  was  pres 
ent  at  the  hacienda  a  small  party  of  American  trap 
pers,  who  had  for  some  reason  strayed  into  this  region. 
These  men  had  known  Don  Rafael,  at  Santa  Fe, 
where  he  had  at  one  time  resided,  and  they  had 
accordingly  been  made  welcome  at  the  hacienda. 

"  Two  of  their  number,  while  out  on  a  hunt  at  a  few 
miles  distance,  had  crossed  our  trail,  for  I  had  led  my 
party  as  near  to  the  hacienda  as  I  dared  ;  and,  having 
concealed  ourselves  in  a  dense  chaparral,  we  were 
waiting  for  night,  it  being  my  intention  to  attack  in 
the  darkness,  when  the  small  ness  of  my  force  could 
not  be  easily  discovered.  Scenting  danger  at  once, 
the  hunters  returned  by  a  circuitous  route  to  the  ha 
cienda,  and  warned  its  occupants.  As  a  natural  con 
sequence,  when  we  made  our  assault  some  hours 
later,  they  were  fully  prepared  for  us,  and  instead  of 
surprising  them  we  were  ourselves  surprised  and 
greeted  with  a  withering  volley  from  the  rifles  of  the 
trappers.  At  the  first  fire  I  received  a  severe  wound, 
and  fell  from  my  horse  with  a  broken  leg.  Panic- 


157 

stricken  at  the  fall  of  tlieir  leader,  and  demoralized  by 
the  unexpected  reception  they  had  met  with,  my  fol 
lowers  quickly  retreated  in  confusion,  and  I  was  left 
wounded  and  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  men  I 
had  sought  to  destroy. 

"  Upon  discovering  that  I  was  a  white  man,  so  great 
was  the  indignation  of  the  Americans,  that  I  should 
have  been  put  to  death  on  the  spot  but  for  the  inter 
cession  of  Don  Rafael.  Finding  that  I  was  a  native 
Mexican  his  sympathy  was  excited,  and  at  his  entreaty 
my  life  was  spared,  and  the  Don's  own  surgeon  at 
tended  to  my  wounds.  It  was  nearly  two  months  be 
fore  I  had  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  able  to  go  about, 
and  by  that  time  every  one  on  the  estate  knew  my 
history,  or  rather  that  version  of  it  which  I  saw  fit  to 
give  them.  I  had  represented  to  Don  Eafael  that  I 
had  been  compelled  to  accompany  the  war  party 
against  my  will,  and  concealed  the  fact  that  I  had 
been  the  leader  of  the  band.  My  story  was  easily 
credited  because  of  my  youth,  and  I  was  treated  with 
great  kindness.  In  another  month  I  had  entirely  re 
gained  my  health,  and  Don  Eafael  proposed  to  me  to 
enter  his  employ  as  a  vaquero.  To  this  I  assented,  al 
though  I  had  fully  determined  to  return  to  my  tribe 
at  the  first  opportunity.  But  I  had  first  several  ob 
jects  to  accomplish,  and  I  was  therefore  compelled  to 
bide  my  time,  and  wait  for  a  favorable  occasion. 

"  Accordingly  I  joined  the  vaqueros  of  the  rancheria, 
and  for  two  months  performed  my  duties  to  the  entire 


158 

satisfaction  of  my  master.  My  object  in  thus  remain 
ing,  when  I  might  have  made  my  escape  at  any  time 
without  difficulty,  was  twofold.  In  the  first  place  I 
knew  that  it  would  not  do  for  me  to  return  to  the 
Indian  village  empty-handed.  My  ill-considered  and 
unauthorized  foray  having  resulted  in  defeat  and  dis 
aster,  I  could  not  expect  a  very  cordial  reception  on 
my.  re  turn,  unless  I  performed  some  very  daring  feat 
in  making  my  escape,  or  returned  with  a  more  than 
ordinary  share  of  booty.  The  last  I  could  not  hope 
to  accomplish,  but  the  former  was  quite  possible. 

"  My  second  design  was  of  an  entirely  different  nat 
ure,  and  its  successful  accomplishment  promised  to  be  a 
very  difficult  matter. 

"  Don  Rafael's  immediate  family  consisted  of  a  wife 
and  daughter,  the  latter  a  girl  of  fifteen,  and  one  of 
the  most  rarely  beautiful  women  it  has  ever  been  my 
fortune  to  behold.  Her  I  had  resolved  to  possess,  and  it 
was  this  reason  more  than  any  other  which  impelled  me 
to  the  execution  of  the  bloody  deed  I  am  about  to  relate. 

"  Guadalupe,  as  she  was  called,  evidently  viewed  me 
with  marked  disfavor,  but  this  only  intensified  the 
passion  I  felt  for  her.  I  was  consumed  with  desire, 
and  determined  that  no  obstacles  should  prevent  me 
from  accomplishing  my  purpose. 

"  It  was  not  long  before  the  opportunity  I  sought 
presented  itself,  and  the  events  took  place  which  ren 
dered  me  doubly  an  outcast  from  those  of  my  race  and 
color. 


CHAPTEE  XIX. 

A   STRAUGE    HISTOBY   CONTINUED. 

'HE  hacienda  of  Don  Hafael  was  a  stone  building, 
or  rather  a  collection  of  buildings,  forming  a 
square.  Like  nearly  all  Mexican  dwellings  it 
was  but  one  story  in  height,  but  covered  a  large 
extent  of  ground.  It  was  flat  roofed,  with  a  parapet, 
breast  high,  running  around  the  edge.  There  were 
few  external  windows,  and  these  were  mere  slits  in  the 
wall,  guarded  by  heavy  iron  bars  and  massive  wooden 
shutters.  The  interior  of  the  square  formed  a  large 
court-yard,  entrance  to  which  was  gained  by  two  arch 
ways,  one  at  each  extremity.  These  were  closed  by 
great  jail-like  doors—in  fact,  the  whole  structure  had 
some  resemblance  to  a  fortress,  a  style  of  architecture 
peculiar  to  this  region,  and  rendered  necessary  for 
security  against  the  annual  raids  of  the  Indian 
warriors. 

"  On  entering  the  patio  or  court-yard,  you  saw  the 
real  front  of  the  house.  Here  the  windows  had  glazed 
Bashes  reaching  to  the  ground,  and  opening  on  curtained 
verandahs.  The  surface  of  ike  patio  was  paved  with 


160 

brick,  and  in  the  center  stood  a  fountain,  surrounded 
by  orange  trees. 

"  Since  the  attack  which  had  resulted  in  my  becom 
ing  an  inmate  of  the  hacienda,  more  care  had  been 
taken  to  guard  against  future  attempts  of  a  like 
nature.  The  great  gates  were  closed  at  sundown,  and 
some  attempt  was  made  at  keeping  a  regular  watch  or 
guard  during  the  night.  At  first  the  sentinels  were 
tolerably  vigilant,  but  the  lazy  rancheros  soon  wearied 
of  their  unaccustomed  duties,  and  before  long  tho 
detail  of  a  guard  was  omitted,  and  affairs  subsided  into 
their  accustomed  quiet. 

"  The  American  trappers  had  departed,  and  all  seem 
ing  favorable  for  the  accomplishment  of  my  plan,  I 
was  not  long  in  putting  it  into  execution.  I  had 
taken  pains  to  become  familiar  with  the  internal 
arrangements  of  the  mansion,  and  knew  exactly  where 
the  different  members  of  the  household  slept.  Se 
lecting  a  night  when  there  was  no  moon,  I  picked  out 
two  of  the  fleetest  mustangs  from  the  corral,  and  se 
cured  them,  fully  prepared  for  flight,  among  a  clump 
of  trees  at  a  short  distance  from  the  hacienda. 

"  During  mv  residence  amons;  the  Camanchcs.  I  had 

O          v  O 

become  familiar  with  a  certain  herb  possessing  strong 
narcotic  properties.  This  I  had  searched  for  and 
found  without  difficulty,  and  with  it  I  had  ma'naged 
to  drug  a  portion  of  the  food  prepared  for  the  evening 
meal,  so  that  at  a  comparatively  early  hour,  the  entire 
household  was  wrapped  in  profound  slumber.  My 


161 

preparations  were  all  completed,  and  when  I  deemed 
that  the  proper  hour  had  arrived,  I  descended  from 
the  azotca,  where  I  had  been  lying  in  wait,  and  noise 
lessly  entered  the  apartments  of  the  family*  [Reach 
ing  that  occupied  by  Don  Rafael,  I  sought  his  bedside, 
and  placing  one  hand  over  his  mouth,  I  stabbed  him 
to  the  heart,  and  he  died  with  scarcely  a  struggle. 
Quickly  transferring  his  scalp  to  my  belt,  I  proceeded 
with  my  bloody  work,  passing  from  room  to  room, 
until  eight  victims  had  perished  beneath  my  blows, 
and  eight  bleeding  scalps  garnished  my  waist. 

"  Knowing  that  I  had  but  little  time  to  spare,  I 
now  prepared  for  -flight.  Hastily  collecting  such 
articles  of  use  or  ornament  as  would  be  likely  to  seem 
of  great  value  in  the  eyes  of  the  Indians,  and  such  as 
I  could  easily  carry,  I  made  them  into  a  pack  of  small 
compass,  and  returning  to  the  azolea,  I  lowered  them 
to  the  ground  with  a  lariat,  which  I  had  previously 
placed  there.  I  then  sought  the  apartment  of  Guada- 
lupe.  Entering  it  without  noise,  I  beheld  her,  by  the 
dim  light  of  a  night  lamp,  reclining  upon  her  couch, 
buried  in  profound  sleep.  I  quickly  bound  her  hands 
and  feet,  and  gagged  her  in  the  Indian  fashion,  with 
a  pear-shaped  piece  of  wood  secured  by  a  strip  of 
leather.  I  then  raised  her  to  my  shoulder,  and  bore 
her  to  the  .roof,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  lariat,  which  I 
had  secured  to  the  parapet,  I  easily  descended  with 
her  to  the  plain  below.  A  few  seconds  rapid  walking 

enabled  me  to  gain  the  horses,  and  a  few  minutes 

11 


162 

later  I  had  fastened  her  to  the  saddle,  and  we  were 
riding  at  full  speed  to  the  northwest.  Knowing  the 
route  well,  I  lost  no  time,  and  at  daybreak  had  nearly 
reached  the  point  at  which  I  intended  to  cross  the  Tiio 
Grande. 

"  Day  was  just  breaking  when  I  rode  through  a  belt 
of  chaparral,  and  emerging  upon  the  prairie  beyond  it, 
came  suddenly  upon  a  horseman,  whom  I  at  once 
recognized  as  one  of  the  Mexican  hunters  attached  to 
the  hacienda  d'Echeverra.  Before  he  could  recover 
from  his  astonishment  at  our  unexpected  meeting,  I 
had  literally  ridden  him  down,  and  brained  him  with 
a  single  blow  of  my  steel  ma«e,  one  of  the  weapons 
which  I  had  taken  from  Don  Hafael's  armory,  and  the 
same  one  you  have  frequently  seen  me  carry.  Add 
ing  his  scalp  to  those  I  had  already  taken,  and  rifling 
his  person  of  whatever  of  value  he  possessed,  I  resumed 
my  flight,  and  traveling  steadily  all  day,  found  myself 
by  nightfall  practically  beyond  pursuit. 

"My  fair  captive  had  long  since  recovered  con 
sciousness,  and  I  had  removed  the  gag  from  her 
mouth.  1  will  spare  you  a  recital  of  her  prayers  and 
en-treaties  when  she  realized  her  position.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that,  after  a  perilous  and  wearisome  journey,  I 
reached  this  village  in  safety  with  my  prize,  and  was 
greeted  as  one  returned  from  the  dead ;  for  the  sur 
vivors  of  my  party  had  brought  back  the  news  of  my 
fall,  and  I  had  been  mourned  by  my  wives  and  my 
poor  sister  as  dead.  Now  all  was  rejoicing ;  a  feast 


163 

was  made,  the  scalp  dance  was  performed,  and  I 
found  that  by  my  bold  exploit  I  had  fully  recovered 
my  standing  among  the  warriors  of  the  tribe. 

"Guadalupe  was  added  to  the  Dumber  of  my  wives, 
and  until  her  death  three  years  later,  remained  my 
favorite.  About  a  year  after  my  return  my  sister 
sickened  and  died,  during  my  absence  with  a  war 
party,  thus  leaving  me  without  ties,  save  such  as  I  had 
made  for  myself  in  my  tribe. 

"  I  was  now  completely  Indianized,  and  began  a  series 
of  expeditions  which  resulted  so  successfully  as  to  cause 
my  advancement  to  the  position  of  a  sub-chief,  and  to  my 
being  frequently  entrusted  with  important  enterprises. 
In  fact,  the  more  desperate  an  undertaking,  the  more 
certainly  would  I  be  called  upon  to  achieve  it.  To 
this  state  of  affairs  I  made  no  objection,  for  I  coveted 
the  sort  of  distinction  or  notoriety  it  gave  me,  and  as 
I.  rarely  failed  of  success,  I  steadily  gained  in  prestige 
and  influence.  But  I  have  never  been  able  to  attain 
a  seat  in  the  council,  or  to  reach  any  higher  rank  than 
that  I  now  hold.  This  I  attributed  to  the  influence 
of  Tonsaroyoo  and  "VVakoinetkla,  both  of  whom 
regard  me  with  ill-concealed  dislike,  although  they 
are  compelled  to  acknowledge  me  as  one  of  the  best 
warriors  of  their  nation. 

"  I  have  led  my  chosen  band  in  many  a  daring  adven 
ture,  and  have  never  returned  without  some  trophy 
of  my  prowess.  Among  the  many  scenes  of  this  na 
ture  through  which  I  have  passed,  I  will  recount  the 


164 

following,  which  will  prove  to  you  that  in  what  I  havo 
said  of  myself  I  have  made  no  idle  boast. 

"  On  one  occasion  Stonhawou,  the  second  chief,  went 
with  about  two  hundred  warriors  into  the  Utah  coun 
try,  with  a  view  of  replenishing  our  stock  of  horses, 
as  we  had  lost  a  large  number  through  the  polite  at 
tentions  of  the  Utahs  and  Arapahoes.  His  party  was 
gono  some  fifteen  days,  and  returned  with  only  eight 
horses,  and  with  the  loss  of  five  men.  This  was  con 
sidered  a  terrible  disgrace,  and  many  of  the  young 
warriors  begged  me  to  lead  them,  and  by  a  successful 
raid  remove  the  shame  they  felt  at  the  defeat  of  Ston- 
hawon's  party.  4* 

"  Selecting  barely  fifty  men,  but  those  the  most  dar 
ing  braves  of  the  tribe,  I  left  the  valley  by  the  eastern 
entrance,  and  crossing  the  desert,  struck  southward 
into  the  Lipan  country.  With  this  tribe  we  were  at 
the  time  at  peace,  but  I  cared  little  for  that,  and  the 
warriors  of  my  party  were  equally  unscrupulous.  I 
sent  forward  a  dozen  spies,  and  moved  forward  cau 
tiously  with  the  main  body.  My  reputation  was 
committed  to  my  present  success,  and  I  took  more 
than  ordinary  pains  to  sustain  it.  Every  man  of  my 
band  was  well  armed  and  mounted,  and  I  had  full  con 
fidence  in  our  ability  to  overcome  double  our  number. 
One  of  the  spies  now  returned  and  informed  me  that 
they  had  discovered  a  Lipan  village  of  seventeen  lodges, 
situated  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream.  I  directed 
them  to  return  and  watch  them  closely,  and  to  apprise 


165 

me  of  any  movement  tliey  miglit  make.  The  spy 
went  back,  but  soon  returned  and  informed  me  tliat 
they  had  moved  down  the  creek,  which  was  a  tribu 
tary  of  the  Pecos,  had  passed  through  a  small  canon, 
and  were  encamped  near  its  mouth.  I  ordered  him 
to  send  in  all  the  spies  except  tliree,  and  direct  these 
to  keep  a  sharp  look-out. 

"  I  then  determined  to  follow  them  down  the  canon, 
and  attack  them  at  its  mouth,  thus  cutting  off  all 
chance  of  their  retreating  into  the  canon ;  but  a  spy 
now  brought  me  word  that  they  had  moved  further 
down  and  encamped  on  the  edge  of  the  timber,  with 
the  evident  intention  of  remaining  there.  I  then 
made  a  wide  circuit,  and  crossed  the  ridge  lower  down 
with  the  largest  division  of  my  party  but  left  about 
twenty  warriors  ambushed  in  the  cafion. 

"  From  the  summit  of  the  hill  I  had  an  excellent 
view  of  the  enemy's  position,  and  my  plans  were 
quickly  formed  and  executed  with  almost  equal  rapidity. 
Under  cover  of  the  timber  I  led  rny  party  until  we 
gained  the  rear  of  the  encampment.  Then  spreading 
out  widely,  we  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  timber, 
and  shouting  our  savage  war-whoop,  rushed  upon  the 
Lipans.  They  were  so  completely  surprised  that  we 
were  among  the  lodges  before  they  could  make 
scarcely  a  semblance  of  defense,  and  many  of  them 
were  cut  down  as  they  emerged  from  the  lodges. 

"  Those  who  escaped  the  first  attack  retreated  to 
wards  the  canon,  but  on  attempting  to  enter  it  were  met 


166 

by  my  detached  party  and  repulsed  with  considerable 
loss.  They  then  retreated  to  the  west  and  gained  the 
shelter  of  the  woods,  while  we  hastily  collected  our 
plunder  and  prisoners  and  retraced  our  steps  towards 
our  village,  our  spoils  consisting  of  thirty-nine  scalps, 
forty-eight  captives,  women  and  children,  arid  over 
two  hundred  horses;  and  this  notable  victory  was 
gained  without  the  loss  of  a  warrior,  although  we  had 
twenty-three  wounded. 

"The  Lipans  gathered  reinforcements  from  other 
bands,  and  followed  our  trail,  but  did  not  succeed  in 
overtaking  us  before  we  reached  our  village  ;  and  hero 
we  are  too  strong  to  be  attacked.  Great  was  the  re 
joicing  upon  our  return;  the  scalp-dance  was  per 
formed,  feasts  prepared  in  our  honor,  and  1  found 
myself  looked  upon  as  a  greater  brave  than  ever. 

"  This  expedition  was  but  the  prelude  to  a  series  of 
similar  ones,  and  as  my  luck  did  not  desert  me,  I  soon 
found  that  more  than  half  the  tribe  were  anxious  to 
accompany  the  war  parties  which  I  led.  It  suited  me 
better,  however,  to  operate  with  comparatively  small 
parties,  say  of  fifty  or  sixty  men,  and  to  take  only 
those  who  would  render  unquestioning  obedience  to 
my  authority.  For  this  reason  I  selected  men  of  no 
great  prominence  in  the  tribe,  but  whom  I  knew  to  bo 
good  fighters,  to  accompany  me  on  these  expeditions, 
so  the  victories  we  achieved  might  redound  mainly  to 
my  credit. 

"  One  day  I  started  out  to  hunt,  accompanied  by 


187 

only  five  young  warriors.  After  five  days  journey, 
during  which  we  found  no  game,  we  ascended  a  slight 
eminence,  and  saw  before  us  a  large  prairie.  At  some 
distance  out  a  party  of  about  thirty  Indians  were  en 
gaged  in  killing  buffaloes.  We  could  also  see  their 
village  at  about  four  miles  distance.  Here  was  an  op 
portunity  not  to  be  lost.  We  passed  along  behind 
the  crest  of  the  hill  until  we  had  gained  a  position  be 
tween  them  and  their  village,  and  then  passed  through 
a  gully  and  concealed  ourselves  in  the  path  they  must 
necessarily  take.  We  were  able  to  discover  by  their 
costume  that  they  were  Pawnee  Ficts,  a  tribe  with 
whom  we  were  generally  at  peace,  but  I  considered 
that  fact  of  no  importance. 

u  The  unsuspecting  hunters,  having  finished  butch 
ering  and  dressing  the  buffaloes  they  had  killed,  began 
to  approach  us  in  straggling  parties  of  four  or  five, 
their  horses  loaded  with  meat  which  they  were  bear 
ing  to  the  village.  When  the  first  of  them  came  abreast 
of  us,  I  made  a  signal, -and  five  of  them  fell  before  our 
arrows.  As  the  next  party  came  up  we  brought  down 
three  more,  and  then  rushed  from  our  hiding  place, 
and  some  began  scalping  the  dead,  while  the  re 
mainder  were  cutting  the  lashings  of  the  meat  in  or 
der  to  secure  the  horses.  Having  taken  eight  scalps, 
we  sprang  upon  the  horses  we  had  freed  from  the 
packs,  and  retreated  precipitately,  fearing  to  be  over 
powered  by  numbers.  We  made  direct  for  the  tim 
ber,  and  having  secreted  our  horses,  took  refuge  in  a 


168 

rocky  place  in  the  mountain,  where  we  felt  protected 
tor  a  while  from  their  attacks.  To  attack  us  in  front 
they  had  to  advance  right  in  the  face  of  our  tire, 
while  to  reach  our  rear  they  had  to  take  a  circuituous 
route  of  several  miles  around  the  base  of  the  moun 
tain. 

"  The  enemy  had  now  gathered  in  force,  and  dis 
played  the  utmost  bravery,  for  they  made  repeated  as 
saults  nearly  up  to  the  position  that  sheltered  us. 
Their  arrows  showered  around  us  without  injury,  but 
we  could  bring  one  man  down  at  each  shot.  To  scalp 
them,  however,  was  impossible.  One  of  the  enemy, 
who  seemed  to  be  a  great  brave,  charged  right  into 
our  midst  and  inflicted  a  severe*1  wound  on  one  of  my 
party.  Before  he  could  retire,  I  cut  him  down  with 
one  stroke  of  my  battle-axe,  and  added  his  scalp  to 
those  we  had  already  taken.  By  this  time  the  enemy 
had  nearly  surrounded  us,  which  led  me  to  believe 
that  retreat  would  be  our  safest  course ;  so  when 
night  came  we  evacuated  our  fortress  unperceived  by 
our  enemies. 

"  They,  deeming  our  escape  impossible,  were  quietly 
resting,  intending  to  attack  us  with  their  whole  force 
in  the  morning,  and  take  our  scalps  at  all  hazards. 
Moving  with  the  stealth  of  the  cougar,  we  proceeded 
along  the  summit  of  a  rocky  cliff  until  we  came  to  a 
ravine,  through  which  we  descended  to  the  plain  be 
low,  which  was  here  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of 
timber.  We  reached  the  spot  where  we  had  concealed 


169 

our  horses  without  difficulty,  and  made  the  best  of  our 
way  home.  In  order  to  avoid  hostile  war  parties  we 
were  obliged  to  take  a  roundabout  course,  and  it  was 
not  until  the  eighteenth  day  after  our  departure  that 
we  reached  the  village.  The  tribe  had  given  us  over 
for  lost,  but  when  they  saw  us  returning  with  nine 
scalps  and  with  but  one  of  our  party  hurt,  their  grief 
gave  way  to  admiration,  and  we  were  greeted  with 
shouts  of  applause. 

"  The  years  I  have  spent  among  the  Camanches  aro 
filled  with  such  exploits  as  these,  but  their  recital 
would  weary  you,  and  I  will  not  further  prolong  rny 
story." 

As  the  renegade  finished  his  narrative,  we  sat  and 
smoked  for  some  time  in  silence.  Then  a  sudden 
thought  struck  me  and  I  said  to  him  : 

"  Hisso-de-cha,  I  have  often  thought  that  I  should 
like  to  go  on  the  war  path.  Why  can  you  not  take 
me  with  you  when  you  next  go  forth  with  a  war 
party?" 

"  That  I  would  willingly  do,"  he  replied,, "  but  it 
would  never  be  permitted  ;  or  at  ail  events,  I  never 
could  gain  "Wakometkla's  consent  to  such  a  thing ; 
but  perhaps  you  can  induce  Stonhawon  to  let  you  ac 
company  him,  and  I  think  he  could  manage  it.  He 
is  now  preparing  to  go  on  an  expedition  of  some  sort, 
as  he  is  anxious  to  surpass  my  recent  success  against 
the  Arapahoes.  But  come,  it  is  time  we  wero  asleep, 
and  if  you  are  not  tired  of  listening  to  mo,  I  am  de- 


170 

cidedly  tired  of  talking ;  so  permit  me  to  bid  you  a 
l)ueno  nocfo  ;  "  and  so  saying,  the  renegade  arose  and 
retired  to  his  lodge.  I  was  not  long  yi  following  his 
example,  but  sleep  did  not  close  my  eyelids  until 
nearly  dawn. 

Reiiecting  upon  the  strange  story  of  my  still 
stranger  companion,  and  seeing  in  imagination  the 
many  bloody  scenes  through  which  he  had  passed,  my 
mind  gradually  turned  to  the  subject  which  had  so 
long  lain  dormant — the  hope  of  escape  from  my  hated 
bondage.  At  last  there  seemed  a  chance  that  my  in 
tense  longing  for  freedom  might  be  gratified  ;  and  I 
determined  to  spare  no  effort  towards  inducing  Ston- 
hawon  to  consent  to  my  forming  one  of  his  war  party. 
Hastily  formed  plans  and  wild  schemes  of  all  descrip 
tions  chased  one  another  through  my  brain,  and  it 
was  nearly  morning  before  I  fell  'into  a  troubled 
sleep,  haunted  even  in  my  dreams  by  visions  of  blood 
and  slaughter. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE   BUFFALO    HUNT. 

'HE  season  was  now  approaching  when  the  buffalo 
might  be  expected  iu  great  numbers  on  the  plains 
to  the  east  of  us,  and  all  the  warriors  were  mak 
ing  the  most  extensive  preparations  for  their 
grand  buffalo  hunt.  They  had  commenced  the  cere 
monies  by  song  and  dance,  as  related  in  another  chapter 
and  now,  all  that  was  necessary  for  their  happiness, 
was  the  actual  appearance  of  the  bison.  Young  men 
left  the  camp  daily,  and  scoured  the  plains,  in  order  to 
get  the  first  news  of  the  herd ;  while  others  stationed 
themselves  on  high  cliffs,  and  patiently  waited  the 
advent  of  the  animal  which  was  to  supply  them  with 
food.  A  signal  had  been  agreed  upon,  by  which  the 
village  would  be  made  aware  of  their  presence  as  soon 
as  the  buffaloes  were  in  sight.  Meantime  every  In 
dian  was  busy,  perfecting  his  arrangements  for  the 
chase.  Lances  were  re-pointed,  arrows  headed,  and 
bows  strengthened.  Most  of  the  time,  however,  was 
employed  in  training  the  ponies,  and  the  plain,  in  front 
of  the  village,  presented  a  very  animated  appearance 
as  the  horsemen  were  seen  dashing  along  at  top-speed, 


172 

throwing  tlie  lasso,  or  rushing  headlong  up  to  another 
warrior,  who  personated  a  buffalo,  go  through  the 
motions  of  killing  him. 

O 

These  scenes  fired  me  with  a  desire  to  see  a  buffalo 
hunt  myself.  1  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  Indians 
trusted  me  sufficiently  to  permit  of  my  accompanying 
them  on  the  proposed  expedition ;  but  then  I  was 
totally  inexperienced  in  the  management  of  their 
weapons,  on  horseback,  never  having  had  occasion  to 
•use  them  when  mounted.  However,  I  determined  to 
try,  and  going  to  "Wakometkla,  I  made  known  my 
wishes.  lie  concurred  quite  heartily  in  my  request, 
and  even  went  so  far  as  to  offer  me  his  own  lance  and 
spear. 

My  determination  to  accompany  the  party  was  soon 
bruited  throughout  the  village,  and  many  were  tho 
offers  of  advice,  ponies,  and  implements  of  the  chase, 
that  were  pressed  upon  my  acceptance.  After  some 
hesitation,  I  selected  a  pony  that  pleased  me,  and  arm 
ing  myself  with  bow  and  arrows,  sallied  forth  upon 
the  plain,  to  put  into  practice  the  hints  that  had  been 
imparted  to  me  in  regard  to  hunting  the  bison.  At 
first  it  was  up-hill  work ;  and  rny  frantic  endeavors  to 
slide  on  the  side  of  my  pony  and  discharge  an  arrow 
from  under  his  neck,  caused  my  instructors  no  small 
merriment.  After  a  severe  fall  —  and  I  had  many 
such — I  would  be  assisted  to  my  horse's  back,  and 
recommended  to  try  it  again,  with  as  much  coolness  as 
if  I  had  merely  fallen  from  a  chair. 


173 

Notwithstanding  the  many  times  I  came  to  grief; 
in  trying  to  wield  bow  and  arrow,  or  lance,  effectively, 
I  kept  persistently  at  it,  and  in  a  week's  time  I  had 
become  a  somewhat  expert  horseman,  and  could  shoot 
an  arrow  with  tolerable  accuracy.  I  now  wished  that 
buffaloes  would  he  signaled  as  approaching,  quite  aa 
ardently  as  did  the  warriors ;  but  in  the  meantime,  I 
persevered  in  my  practice.  One  day  it  occurred  to  me 
that  I  should  like  to  learn  to  throw  a  lasso,  and  pro 
curing  one,  I  coiled  it,  mounted,  and  went  in  search 
of  some  object  on  which  to  practice. 

By  Gome  mutability  of  fortune  a  donkey  had  strayed 
into  our  midst,  and  had  remained  with  the  tribe  for 
many  years.  Ro  one  used  him,  but  all  considered  it 
their  privilege  to  tease  the  poor  brute.  lie  bore  it 
calmly  and  with  that  fortitude  which  is  a  distinguish 
ing  trait  of  his  species.  Deeming  him  a  very  fair 
substitute  for  a  buffalo,  I  gave  my  pony  a  sharp  cut 
with  the  whip,  and  dropping  the  rein  upon  his  neck, 
prepared  to  throw  my  lasso.  My  imaginary  buffalo 
seemed  to  suspect  that  all  was  not  right,  and  acting  on 
his  suspicions  galloped  away,  not  giving  my  intentions 
the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  It  was  of  no  avail,  how 
ever,  for,  urging  my  pony  to  increased  speed,  I  was 
soon  within  range,  and  twirling  the  lasso  around  my 
head  a  few  times,  I  launched  it,  directing  its  course,  as 
nearly  as  my  poor  skill  would  permit,  towards  tho 
donkey's  head.  It  would  certainly  never  have  touched 
him  had  he  pursued  the  direction  in  which  he  was 


174: 

then  running.  But  his  evil  genius  prompted  him  to 
turn,  and,  shaping  his  course  so  as  to  bisect  mine  at 
right  angles,  he  raised  his  head,  and,  giving  vent  to 
one  of  those  musical  neighs  (?)  for  which  the  animal 
is  somewhat  famous,  rushed  on  in  his  mad  career. 
Poor  brute !  the  noose  hovered  over  him  a  moment, 
like  some  bird  of  prey  about  to  swoop  down  on  its 
quarry,  and  then  settled  over  his  head  and  shoulders. 
My  horse  knew  more  about  the  use  of  this  pecuh'ar 
instrument  than  I  did,  for  no  sooner  had  the  lass® 
passed  over  the  head  of  the  donkey  than  he  planted 
his  fore  feet  firmly  on  the  ground,  and  braced  his 
body  to  receive  the  shock.  Before  1  was  aware  of 
anything,  I  felt  a  sharp  jerk  at  my  wrist,  and  the  next 
moment  I  was  sailing  over  my  pony's  head,  and  going 
in  the  direction  of  the  donkey  at  a  more  rapid  rate 
than  was  agreeable.  I  soon  struck  terra  firma,  but 
with  such  force  that  the  concussion  caused  me  to  see 
more  stars  than  I  thought  the  heavens  were  capable 
of  containing.  To  add  to  my  embarrassment,  the  rope 
had  become  fastened  to  my  wrist,  and  in  such  a  man 
ner  that  I  could  not  free  myself.  The  donkey,  recover 
ing  from  the  effect  of  the  shock,  started  off  at  head 
long  speed,  dragging  my  unresisting  body  after  him. 
How  long  this  novel  journey  would  have  continued  I 
have  no  means  of  knowing  had  I  not  fortunately  been 
rescued  by  a  passing  Indian.  After  an  examination, 
I  found  that  with  the  exception  of  torn  clothing  and 
a  few  scratches,  I  had  come  out  of  this  adventure 


175 

safely ;  but  I  never  more  had  any  desire  to  run  amuck 
with  donkeys. 

The  Indian  then  explained  the  manner  in  which  the 
lasso  was  thrown,  and  under  his  tuition  I  became 
somewhat  of  an  adept  in  this  novel  art. 

The  following  morning  the  signal  from  the  look-out 
announced  that  the  herd  were  in  sight.  Then  there 
was  hurrying  to  and  fro,  and  mounting  in  hot  haste. 
Indians  were  seen  rushing  frantically  in  every  direc 
tion,  whilst  the  greatest  hilarity  prevailed  among  the 
squaws.  Horses  were  driven  into  the  corrals  and  quickly 
bridled,  whilst  those  who  were  to  participate  in  the 
hunt  were  busy  divesting  themselves  of  all  superflu 
ous  clothing.  Some  armed  themselves  with  a  bow 
and  a  few  arrows,  while  some  depended  on  their  lances 
only.  The  party  had  by  this  time  assembled  in  front 
of  'the  lodge  where  Tonsaroyoo  was  standing  giving 
the  final  instructions  to  the  band.  These  were  very 
brief,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  finished  speaking,  every 
thing  being  in  readiness,  we  mounted  our  horses,  and 
were  off  like  a  whirlwind. 

Passing  up  the  valley,  we  climbed  the  cliff  and  de 
filing  around  the  narrow  ledge  of  rock  that  guards 
this  entrance  to  the  village  soon  deployed  upon  the 
prairie.  As  we  swept  along  over  the  plain  on  this 
glorious  morning,  my  spirits  rose,  the  blood  coursed 
through  my  veins  in  rapid  pulsations,  and  I  felt  as  if 
I  could  have  destroyed  a  herd  of  buffaloes  single 
handed. 


176 

In  these  latitudes  such  is  the  purity  of  the  air  that 
one  seems  to  be  taking  in  at  every  breath  the  veritable 
elixir  of  life.  Your  spirits  are  buoyant,  and  all  nature 
eeenis  to  be  smiling  and  gay.  As  we  journeyed  we 
overtook  the  scouts,  who  were  returning  to  apprise  us 
of  the  exact  location  of  the  buffaloes.  After  making 
their  report,  they  would  wheel  into  line  and  sweep 
on  with  the  main  party. 

We  had  proceeded  about  twenty  miles,  when  we 
reached  a  level  stretch  of  prairie,  and  directly  in  front 
of  us,  at  a  distance  of  perhaps  two  miles  was  the  herd 
quietly  grazing,  all  unsuspecting  of  the  danger  that 
menaced  them.  It  was  not  a  very  large  drove,  and 
they  kept  quite  close  together.  It  was  the  season 
when  tiie  buffaloes  wandered  off  from  the  main  herd 
in  small  bands,  and  the  prairies  were  dotted  for  miles 
with  these  black  clumps,  like  great  dark  splashes  on  a 
carpet  of  emerald. 

The  plan  of  attack  was  decided  upon  in  council, 
and  the  band  disposed  of  in  a  manner  that  would  in 
sure  the  complete  and  speedy  extermination  of  our 
game.  We  were  about  to  make  a  "  surround."  The 
warriors  were  divided  into  two  columns,  and  taking 
opposite  directions,  drew  themselves  gradually  around 
the  herd  at  a  distance  of  about  a  mile  from  them.  We 
continued  to  deploy  in  this  manner  U7itil  a  complete 
circle  was  formed,  and  then,  at  a  given  signal,  wo 
closed  in  upon  the  buifoloes,  keeping  our  impatient 
etccds  at  a  moderate  pace. 


177 

TLe  herd  soon  got  the  wind  of  the  advancing 
enemy,  and  fled  in  a  body  in  the  greatest  confusion. 
To  the  point  where  the  buffaloes  were  aiming  to  cross 
our  line,  the  horsemen  were  gathering,  and  forming 
in  column,  brandishing  their  weapons  and  yelling  in 
the  most  frightful  manner,  by  which  means  they 
turned  the  surging  mass.  Seeing  themselves  baffled 
at  this  point,  they  would  rush  off.  in  an  opposite 
direction,  when  they  would  again  be  met  by  a  for 
midable  column  and  again  repulsed  in  utter  con 
fusion. 

By  this  time  we  had  closed  in  from  all  directions, 
forming  a  continuous  line  that  circled  the  throng  like 
the  deadly  coils  of  the  cobra.  The  buffaloes  had  be 
come  completely  demoralized,  and  were  eddying 
about  in  a  crowded  and  confused  mass,  hooking  and 
climbing  upon  each  other.  Now  was  the  time  for 
the  onslaught.  Tonsaroyoo,  by  whose  side  I  was  rid 
ing,  placed  the  whistle  to  his  lips  and  gave  the  signal. 

Then  followed  a  scene  of  wild  confusion.  Tho 
horsemen  dashed  upon  the  bewildered  buffaloes  with 
the  rapidity  of  thought  almost,  using  their  lances  and 
arrows  with  murderous  effect.  In  the  turmoil  a  cloud 
of  dust  was  raised  which  in  part  obscured  those  of  the 
band  who  did  not  immediately  surround  me.  The  ex 
citement  was  intense,  and  soon  all  became  one  im 
mense  blur,  in  which  hunters  and  buffaloes  were  in 
discriminately  mixed.  I  could  see  the  Indians  gallop 
ing  their  horses  around  the  animals  and  driving  tho 

12 

* 


173 

whizzing  arrows  or  long  lances  to  the  hearts  of  their- 
quarry. 

My  own  pony  had  penetrated  deep  into  the  herd, 
and  with  a  sagacity  that  a  long  experience  alone  could 
develop,  was  laying  his  course  straight  for  an  enor 
mous  bull  that  was  flanking  the  herd.  Had  my  tasto 
been  consulted,  I  should  certainly  have  declined  to 
try  conclusions  with  such  an  ugly  customer,  but  thero 
was  no  avoiding  the  encounter,  and,  selecting  ar 
arrow,  I  drew  my  bow  and  waited  a  favorable  oppor 
tunity  to  send  it  through  the  bison. 

On  sped  the  pony,  and  Jn  a  few  moments  I  was 
brushing  the  flank  of  the  buffalo.  At  a  glance  I  saw 
that  he  had  been  wounded  and  was  tearing  along, 
blind  with  rage.  I  let  fly  my  arrow,  which  pierced 
his  neck  ;  its  effect  was  only  to  increase  his  fury,  and, 
wheeling  round,  he  rushed  on  me  with  savage  desper 
ation.  Never  can  I  forget  the  sight  as  he  bore  down 
upon  us.  Infuriated  with  the  wounds  already  receiv 
ed,  his  shaggy  mane  partly  concealing  his  bloodshot 
eyes,  and  bellowing  fiercely,  he  poised  his  head  for  a 
final  charge.  My  horse  tried  to  escape  the  onslaught, 
but  we  had  penetrated  into  the  main  body,  and  our 
actions  were  impeded  by  the  other  buffaloes. 

I  concluded  our  destruction  was  inevitable,  but,  as 
a  last  resort,  I  had  determined  to  leap  to  the  ground 
and  trust  to  luck  to  lead  me  out  of  this  dilemma. 

As  I  was  preparing  to  dismount,  a  lance  lying  upon 
the  ground  caught  my  sight,  and  I  instantly  changed 


179 

my  resolution.  If  I  could  secure  the  weapon  ail 
might  yet  be  well.  I  determined  to  make  the  effort 
at  all  hazards,  and  throwing  my  arm  into  the  sling 
that  depended  from  the  neck  of  my  horse,  I  swung 
lightly  from  his  back,  and  hanging  by  my  arm  and 
foot,  made  ready  to  grasp  the  lance  with  my  disen 
gaged  arm.  As  we  swept  along  I  succeeded  in  secur 
ing  it,  and  reseating  myself,  prepared  to  drive  it  deep 
into  the  side  of  the  enraged  bull.  I  had  scarcely  time 
to  poise  the  instrument  when  the  buffalo  charged 
down  on  us  like  a  whirlwind.  Bracing  myself  as  best 
I  might,  I  pulled  violently  on  the  reins  and  threw  my 
steed  to  one  side,  just  in  time  to  prevent  his  being 
gored  to  death,  at  the  same  time  lunging  out  savagely 
at  the  animal.  The  shock  was  terriiic,  and  I  went 
whirling  from  my  horse's  back  some  twenty  feet  on 
the  prairie.  I  was  not  so  violently  stunned  but  that 
I  was  qm'te  conscious  of  the  danger  I  was  in  of  being 
trampled  to  death  by  the  hoofs  of  the  demoralized 
herd,  and,  gathered  myself  up  id  time  to  grasp  the 
trailing  lasso  that  was  fastened  to  iry  pony,  I  was 
dragged  far  out  on  the  prairie.  Badly  bruised,  my 
skin  lacerated  and  in  places  bleeding  profusely,  I  felt 
in  no  condition  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  hunt ;  in 
fact,  my  unique  experience  was,  I  thoughLggpfficient 
to  last  me  a  lifetime. 

Hiding  at  some  distance  from  the  melee,  I  had  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  watch  the  progress  of  the 
hunt.  The  slaughter  continued  with  unabated  fury. 


180 

The  plain  was  covered  with,  dead  and  dying  buffaloes. 
Horses  cou"ld  "be  seen  galloping  over  the  prairie  rider 
less,  while  their  dismounted  masters  were  flying  for 
their  lives  before  the  infuriated  animals. 

Sometimes  the  serried  ranks  would  open,  and  the 
blinded  horsemen,  so  intent  upon  their  prey,  amidst 
the  cloud  of  dust,  were  wedged  and  hemmed  in 
among  the  crowding  beasts,  over  whose  backs  they 
were  obliged  to  leap  for  security,  leaving  their  horses 
to  the  fate  that  might  await  them  in  the  results  of  this 
wild  and  desperate  war.  Many  were  the  bulls  that 
turned  upon  their  assailants  4nd  met  them  with  des 
perate  resistance,  and  many  were  the  warriors  who 
were  dismounted  and  saved  themselves  by  their  supe 
rior  running  abilities.  Some  who  were  closely  pur 
sued  by  the  bulls,  would  wheel  suddenly  around,  and 
snatching  the  part  of  buffalo  robe  from  their  waists, 
throw  it  over  the  horns  and  eyes  of  the  maddened 
animal,  and  darting  to  one  side,  drive  an  arrow  or 
lance  to  its  heart.  Others  dashed  upon  the  prairies 
by  the  side  of  the  affrighted  beasts  which  had  escaped 
from  the  throng,  and  closely  escorting  them  for  a  few 
rods,  bring  down  their  hearts'  blood  in  streams,  and 
their  huge  carcasses  upon  the  enameled  turf. 

In  this  way  the  whole  herd  was  quickly  annihilated. 
The  war  lasted  perhaps  thirty  minutes,  and  resulted 
in  the  total  destruction  of  the  herd,  which,  with  all 
their  strength  and  fury,  were  doomed,  like  every  beast, 
to  fall  before  the  destroying  hands  of  mighty  man. 


181 

I  had  sat  trembling  on  my  horse,  and  witnessed  this 
extraordinary  scene.  Although  I  was  not  enabled 
to  accurately  estimate  the  number  killed,  yet  I  am 
sure  several  hundred  buffaloes  fell  in  this  grand 
onslaught. 

After  the  battle  the  scene  was  curious  in  the  ex 
treme.  The  hunters  were  moving  about  amongst  tho 
dead  and  dying  animals,  leading  their  horses  by  their 
halters,  and  claiming  their  slain  by  the  private  marks 
upon  their  arrows,  which  they  were  drawing  from  the 
wounds  in  the  animals'  sides.  A  few  buffaloes  had 
tlie  good  fortune  to  escape,  but,  after  wandering  off 
on  the  prairie  for  some  distance,  they  would  stop, 
stand  a  while,  looking  around  as  if  in  bewilderment, 
then  turning,  as  if  bent  on  their  own  destruction, 
return  to  the  herd,  and  mingling  with  the  dead 
and  dying,  swell  the  slaughtered  throng  with  their 
numbers. 

When  all  was  finished,  and  the  arrows  had  been 
claimed,  a  general  council  was  held,  the  Indians  seated 
in  a  circle  on  the  ground.  The  pipe  was  passed 
around,  each  taking  a  few  whiffs. 

It  was  decided  to  wait  until  the  women  and  extra 
horses  had  arrived  from  the  village,  a  messenger  hav 
ing  been  despatched  to  announce  our  success,  and 
ordering  the  squaws  to  repair  to  the  scene  and  carry 
the  meat  back  to  the  encampment.  "We  had  not  long 
to  wait  for  the  arrival  of  tho  women.  They  came  in 
a  gang,  making  the  air  resound  with  their  yells  of 


182 

rejoicing.  As  soon  as  they  came  up  they  were  greeted 
with  disdainful  silence  by  the  assembled  warriors,  and 
Tonsaroyoo  having  issued  a  few  directions,  they  fell 
to,  and  were  soon  deep  in  the  mysteries  of  skinning 
and  butchering  the  slain  bu Haloes.  As  soon  as  a  car 
cass  had  been  cut  up,  it  was  placed  in  a  covering  of 
the  hide,  and  placed  upon  the  pony's  back  waiting 
to  receive  it.  .  As  soon  as  one  was  loaded,  an  Indian 
boy  took  him  in  charge  and  led  him  off  to  the  vil 
lage. 

The  plain  presented  a  peculiar  appearance,  dotted 
here  and  there  with  the  ladencd  ponies  returning  to 
camp,  and  reminded  me  of  a  caravan  on  the  African 
deserts,  such  as  I  had  seen  in  books,  more  than  any 
thing  else.  The  warriors  soon  rode  off,  leaving 
the  women,  boys,  and  dogs  to  complete  the  destruc 
tion. 

Our  entry  into  the  village  was  an  ovation.  Con 
quering  heroes  could  not  have  been  more  graciously 
received.  During  the  next  week  all  hands  were  en 
gaged  in  a  round  of  feasting  and  dancing,  interspersed 
with  religious  ceremonies,  and  in  some  instances  of 
self-immolation.  ISro  scene  of  the  long  series  in  which 
I  was  both  actor  and  spectator,  gave  me  a  better  idea 
of  the  Indian  character.  To  light,  slaughter,  prey, 
eat  and  sleep,  seemed  to  be  the  end  and  aim  of  their 
existence.  To  outnumber  his  adversary  and  hence 
consummate  his  destruction,  was  the  highest  possibil 
ity  of  prowess.  To  bear  torture  without  evincing  the 


183 


weakness  of  physical  suffering  was  the  sublimity  of 
courage  ;  and  when  death  finally  overtook  them,  to  go 
to  the  happy  hunting  grounds  well  supplied  with  the 
implements  that  would  produce  carnal  enjoyment  was 
the  apotheosis  of  enjoyment! 


CHAPTER 


now  been  five  years  among  the  Indians, 
and  during  that  time  my  life  was  chiefly  trial.* 
*4b  and  hardships.  Best,  a  word  unknown  in  my 
t>  vocabulary.  It  would  Appear  that  I  owed  allegi 
ance  to  no  particular  individual,  but  on  the  contrary, 
I  was  called  upon  to  perform  the  most  arduous  tasks 
by  man,  woman,  and  child. 

My  labors  in  the  field  having  come  to  a  conclusion, 
I  was  inducted  into  the  mysteries  of  curing  and  dress 
ing  skins  of  various  animals,  making  moccasins  and 
gathering  berries  for  the  winter  stock. 

During  a  period  of  three  months  rain  had  not  fallen, 
and  this  fact  gave  rise  to  a  peculiar  ceremony,  which 
I  will  briefly  relate.  The  crops  were  suffering  severely 
from  the  drought,  and  it  was  decided  in  council  that 
the  "  rain  makers  "  should  invoke  the  clouds,  and  by 
a  series  of  conjugations  cause  the  heavens  to  open 
their  floodgates.  The  women  had  become  clamorous 
and  implored  the  medicine-men  to  intercede  for  rain, 
that  their  corn  patches,  which  were  now  turning  pale 
and  yellow,  might  not  be  withered  and  they  be  de 
prived  of  the  customary  annual  festivity  and  the  joy- 


185 

fill  occasion  of  the  "  roasting  ears  "  and  the  "  green 
corn  dance." 

The  plaints  of  the  women  were  entertained,  but 
these  wise  (?)  men  discreetly  recommended  caution 
and  deliberation,  lest  by  undue  haste  the  Great  Spirit 
might  become  incensed  and  defeat  their  endeavors. 
This  stratagem  was  very  pellucid,  because  the  longer 
they  delayed  the  formalities,  of  course  the  greater 
would  be  the  chance  of  success ;  but  the  importuni 
ties  of  the  women  became  daily  more  persistent,  and 
the  council  was  at  length  convened.  The  medicine 
men  assembled  in  all  the  bravery  of  their  grotesque 
trappings,  and  the  fires  being  lighted,  a  large  quan 
tity  of  wild  sage  and  other  aromatic  herbs  was  thrown 
upon  the  flames,  that  their  savory  odors  might  ascend 
as  a  peace-offering  to  the  Great  Spirit. 

Some  twelve  or  fifteen  young  warriors  volunteered 
to  try  their  medicine  and  see  if  the  clouds  could  not 
be  made  to  yield  their  vapor  by  the  charm  of  their  elo 
quence.  It  was  a  dreadful  alternative,  as,  failing  to 
produce  any  result,  they  suffered  everlasting  disgrace 
at  the  hands  of  the  entire  tribe.  The  preliminaries 
having  been  arranged,  the  candidates  were  drawn  by 
lot  and  a  day  assigned  to  each  one  to  lift  his  voice  on 
high  and  persuade  the  rain  to  descend.  The  celebrant 
took  up  his  position  on  the  top  of  the  council  lodge, 
while  below  the  worthy  doctors  continued  to  burn 
their  incense,  and  with  song,  prayers,  and  incantations, 
commanded  the  clouds  to  obey  them. 


186 

Wah-kee  (the  shield),  ascended  the  wigwam  at  sun 
rise  and  made  elaborate  preparations  to  frighten  the 
clouds  into  obeying  him.  After  indulging  in  war- 
whoops,  brandishing  his  lance,  shield  and  tomahawk, 
and  going  through  various  other  absurd  performances, 
he  subsided  and  betook  himself  to  counting  his  mystery 
beads.  The  whole  village  had  assembled,  and  were 
howling  lustily  for  his  success.  Not  a  cloud  appeared 
— -the  day  was  calm  and  hot ;  and  when  the  sun  de 
clined  behind  the  mountains,  he  descended  from  his 
exalted  position,  and  withdrew  with  a  crestfallen  air. 

He  returned  to  his  lodge  &  sadder  if  not  a  wiser 
man,  disgraced  and  with  no  prospect  of  ever  attain 
ing  to  the  dignity  of  a  medicine  man. 

The  next  morning  the  performance  was  repeated, 
Om-pah  (the  Elk),  saying  that  his  importunities  would 
certainly  be  heard.  He  was  quite  nude,  and  his  body 
besmeared  with  yellow  clay.  A.  beautiful  shield  was 
displayed  on  his  left  arm,  and  his  right  hand  grasped 
a  long  lance.  The  skin  of  a  raven  adorned  his  head. 
Shield  and  lance  were  flourished,  but  in  vain.  Not 
a  cloud  obscured  the  brightness  of  the  noon-day  sun. 
The  squaws  were  crying,  and  the  corn  was  withering 
at  its  roots. 

War-rah-pa  (the  beaver),  was  the  next,  but  he,  like 
the  others,  spent  his  time  in  vain;  and  Wak-a-dah-me 
took  the  stand  the  next  morning.  He  was  much  more 
gaily  attired  than  any  of  his  predecessors.  In  addi 
tion  to  a  shield  ornamented  with  "  red  chains  of  light- 


187 

ning,"  he  earned  in  his  left  hand  a  bow  and  singlo  ar 
row.  The  concourse  was  as  great  as  on  any  previous 
day.  Striking  an  attitude,  he  tossed  up  a  feather  to 
ascertain  the  course  of  the  wind,  then  turning  to  tha 
mob  below,  began  a  lengthy  harangue,  something  after 
the  following  manner : 

u  Apaches !  Children  of  the  Sun  ! — You  behold  me 
here  a  sacrifice.  I  shall  this  day  relieve  yon  of  your 
distress  and  bring  joy  to  your  lodges,  or  I  shall  Mve 
among  the  dogs  and  old  women  for  the  remainder  of 
my  days.  My  friends,  you  saw  which  way  my  feather 
flew.  I  shall  hold  my  shield  in  that  direction,  and 
the  lightning  will  draw  a  great  cloud,  and  this  arrow, 
which  is  feathered  with  the  quill  of  the  white  swan} 
will  make  a  hole  in  it. 

"  Warriors !  this  opening  in  the  lodge  at  my  feet 
shows  me  the  medicine  men.  They  are  seated  in  a 
circle  and  are  crying  to  the  Great  Spirit  above  who 
commands  the  sun  and  clouds.  Three  days  they  have 
sat  there.  Have  they  done  aught  to  relieve  your  dis 
tress?  Om-pah  tried  and  failed,  because  on  his 
head  was  the  raven.  It  flies  above  the  storm.  War- 
rahpa  is  the  beaver,  and  he  lives  under  the  water. 
How  could  he  succeed  ?  My  friends,  I  see  you  are 
in  great  distress,  and  nothing  has  yet  been  done.  This 
shield  belonged  to  my  father,  the  Mad  Bull.  It  was 
taken  from  a  black  cloud,  which  will  come  over  us  to 
day.  I  am  the  son  of  my  father,  and  will  surely  bring: 
you  relief.  I  have  done." 


188 

Tims  flourished  Wakadahme,  alternately  addressing 
tlie  clouds  and  the  people. 

It  so  chanced  that  as  he  was  speaking,  a  small  cloud 
appeared  on  the  horizon,  and  as  it  approached  grew 
larger,  until  the  heavens  were  overcast.  Then  draw 
ing  liis  bow  to  its  utmost  tension,  he  let  fly  the  arrow, 
which  sped  up  into  the  gathering  blackness,  and  was 
lost  to  view.  Presently  the  sky  was  illumined  with  a 
vivid  flash,  and  peal  upon  peal  of  thunder  followed  in 
rapid  succession.  The  crowd  dispersed,  running  to 
their  lodges  in  the  greatest  confusion ;  but  the  great 
warrior  who  had  brought  about  this  happy  state  of 
tilings  remained  at  his  post,  strutting  around  the  apex 
of  the  lodge  in  all  the  nr'ght  and  majesty  of  his  new 
made  glory.  Even  rain  could  not  drive  him  away  from 
the  scene  of  his  triumph.  There  he  stood,  the  moist 
•cynosure  of  all  e}res. 

After  this  all  was  joy  and  gladness.  "Wakadahme 
was  loaded  down  with  honors,  and  every  chief  in  the 
tribe  was  anxious  to  have  him  select  one  of  his  daugh 
ters  for  a  wife.  lie  accommodated  six  of  them,  but 
prudential  reasons  interposed  between  him  and  the 
seventh.  From  this  time  forth  he  was  an  honored  and 
puissant  warrior,  chief,  and  mystery  man. 

Numerous  amusements  were  indulged  in  by  the 
tribe,  and  all  had  for  their  end  and  aim  some  gambling 
operation.  The  youths  had  an  exhibition  of  arrow 
shooting  which  they  called  the  "  game  of  the  arrow." 

Those  most  distinguished  in  this  exercise  assembled 


189 

on  the  prairie  a  little  distance  from  the  village,  and 
each  one  having  paid  his  "  entrance  fee,"  such  as  a 
shield,  robe,  pipe,  or  other  article,  would  step  forward 
to  the  mark,  and,  selecting  ten  arrows,  proceed  to 
shoot  them  in  the  air  in  rapid  succession.  The  one 
who  could  get  the  greatest  number  up  before  the  first 
fell  to  the  ground  claimed  the  "  pool "  and  went  away 
in  the  best  of  spirits,  displaying  his  gains  as  he  jour 
neyed  through  the  village. 

The  older  braves  passed  their  time  in  horse  racing. 
This  species  of  sport  varies  but  little  among  the  In 
dians  from  that  which  obtains  among  civilized  com 
munities.  A  track  is  mapped  out  upon  the  level 
prairie,  and  a  couple  of  lances,  from  which  pennants 
are  streaming,  are  planted  firmlv  in  the  ground  at  a 

O-  JL  *s  O 

point  which  denotes  the  goal.  The  riders  start  from 
the  upper  end  of  the  course,  and  plying  the  whip  with 
all  their  vigor,  come  thundering  down  the  course  with 
the  speed  of  the  wind.  A  judge  is  appointed 
whose  decision  is  irrevocable,  and  grouped  around 
him  are  the  spectators  intent  on  making  their 
bets  and  watching  the  progress  of  this  tournament  of 
speed. 

Occasionally  sham  fights  are  inaugurated,  when 
brave  meets  brave  in  all  the  fierceness  of  battle  array 
to  go  through  the  motions  of  Indian  warfare,  circling 
around  the  foe,  or  bundling  together,  come  down  on 
the  enemy  with  startling  suddenness,  discharging  a 
cloud  of  arrows,  then,  wheeling  short  around,  retrace 


190 

their  steps  and  prepare  to  receive  the  shock  of  their 
enemy's  advance. 

One  day  a  messenger  brought  the  news  that  buffaloes 
had  made  their  appearance  on  the  plain,  and  a  numerous 
party  was  at  once  formed  to  go  in  their  pursuit.  After 
having  been  gone  about  two  days  they  returned  laden 
with  the  fruits  of  victory,  and  throwing  the  meat  down 
in  one  pile,  issued  their  orders  to  have  it  cured  at  once. 
¥  This  arduous  task  was  delegated  to  the  women,  and  in 
a  very  short  time  poles  were  planted  in  every  direction. 
The  meat  was  dressed  and  then  cut  in  long  strips  of 
about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  and,  being  hung 
over  the  lines,  was  left  to  dry  in  the  sunshine.  When 
it  is  cured  the  buffalo  meat  becomes  lasajo,  and  in  this 
state  may  be  preserved  for  a  great  length  of  time.  It 
is  cured  without  salt ;  in  fact,  the  Indians  rarely  if 
ever  use  this  condiment,  which  is  so  essential  to  the 
civilized  white.  This  seems  to  be  accounted  for  by 
the  fact  that  they  use  very  little  vegetable  food.  Hence, 
during  my  captivity,  I  became  quite  reconciled  to  the 
absence  of  salt>  and  for  months  after  my  return  to  the 
whites  did  not  feel  any  desire  to  use  it.  So  strong  is 
the  force  of  habit. 

It  had  been  announced  that  during  the  annual 
religious  ceremonies  soon  to  commence,  we  would  have 
the  pleasure  of  entertaining  a  band  of  "  club  "  Apaches, 
who  would  participate  in  the  festivities,  and  prepara 
tions  of  the  most  elaborate  character  were  made  for 
their  reception  and  entertainment. 


191 

Of  all  my  experience  in  the  character  of  a  captive, 
these  were,  perhaps,  the  most  shocking.  Xever  shall 
I  forget  the  terrible  ordeal  of  that  bloody  week,  when 
liiirnan  gore  ran  like  water,  and  it  seemed  a  miracle 
that  such  a  band  of  fiends  were  not  swept  off  the  face 
of  the  earth  1 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

FEASTS,    FASTS,    AND    FACTS. 

®IIIS  chapter  is  to  be  a  faithful  description  of 
1  mystery,  hocus-pocus,  voii-doo,  arid  Indian  super- 
fsfcition,  concrete  and  abstract.  The  entire  cere 
monial  of  Indian  worship  lias  for  its  groundwork 
the  basest  and  most  groveling  superstition.  AU  events 
in  any  way  out  of  the  ordinary  run  of  human  affairs 
are  directly  traced  to  the  Good  or  Evil  Spirit. 

If  their  affairs  are  in  any  way  confused,  or  do  their 
war  parties  come  to  grief,  the  misfortune  is  laid  at  -the 
door  of  O-kce-hce-de  (the  Evil  Spirit),  and  when  for 
tune  smiles  upon  them,  and  bountiful  harvests,  game, 
scalps,  and  victories  are  theirs,  it  is  directly  attributable 
to  the  influence  of  the  Great  Spirit. 

An  infant's  knowledge  begins  by  the  inculcation  of 
this  proposition,  and  during  its  lifetime,  existence  is 
enjoyable  or  the  reverse,  according  as  the  Good  or 
Evil  Spirit  smiles  on  him.  In  this  fact  is  displayed 
the  resemblance  between  a  savage  fetich  and  the  ideal 
Christian  religion.  It  is  the  distinction  that  exists 
between  the  bud  and  full-blown  flower, — a  wild,  bar 
barous  groping  after  the  perfected,  civilized  idea.  Tho 


193 

Indian  lias  his  ideas  of  a  heaven  and  a  purgatory,  but 
they  are  carnal  and  material.  As  he  lives  in  this 
world,  so  he  proposes  to  exist  in  the  world  hereafter. 
The  happy  hunting  grounds  are  merely  a  repetition  of 
his  present  life,  only  in  those  blissful  elysian  fields  a 
Good  Spirit  wills  that  game  shall  always  be  in  abun 
dance,  and  hunting  facilities  inexhaustible.  Contrary 
to  the  faith  that  obtains  among  Christians,  the  Indian 
maintains  that  the  Good  Spirit  inhabits  the  realms  of 
the  Evil  Spirit,  while  his  opposite,  the  Evil  One, 
haunts  the  domains  of  the  blest.  This  curious,  not  to 
say  absurd  state  of  affairs,  is  accounted  for  in  the  fol 
lowing  manner  : 

It  is  maintained  that  an  Indian  suffers  for  his  crimes 
only  for  a  length  of  time  commensurate  with  the  sins 
committed.  Hence,  while  professing  their  conviction 
in.  a  future  administration  of  rewards  and  punishments, 
they  also  maintain  that  a  very  Judas  of  his  tribe  will, 
after  expiating  his  sins,  enjoy  the  fullest  delights  of  his 
more  upright  companions.  Thus  it  becomes  very  neces 
sary,  in  their  opinion,  that  the  Good  Spirit  should  meet 
them  in  purgatory,  and  by  word  and  act  increase  their 
Bufferings  and  bring  them  to  a  realizing  sense  of  the 
power  of  him  whom  they  have  offended ;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  Bad  Spirit  roams  through  their  Para 
dise  still  tempting  the  happy.  Those  who  have  gone 
to  the  regions  of  punishment,  they  believe  will  be 
toYtured  for  a  time  proportioned  to  their  offences, 
and  then,  being  transferred  to  the  land  of  the  happy, 

Id 


194: 

they  arc  again  liable  to  the  temptations  of  the  Evil 
Spirit,  and  answerable  again  at  a  future  time  for  their 
new  offences.  It  will  be  seen  that  this  scheme  of  sal 
vation  is  rather  crude  and  not  as  satisfactory  in  its 
details  as  one  might  desire. 

In  regard  to  the  topographical  positions  of  these  two 
places — heaven  and  hell — little  can  be  ascertained. 
As  near  as  I  could  learn,  the  offenders  inhabited  a 
country  lying  far  to  the  north,  where  snow  and  ice 
were  the  minor  concomitants  of  a  bleak  and  barren 
land ;  whilst  they  suppose  the  happy  hunting  grounds 
to  be  in  the  region  of  perpetual  sunshine,  where  every 
prospect  is  of  the  most  charming  character,  and  only 
the  keenest  enjoyment  is  experienced;  where  buffa 
loes  and  other  Indian  luxuries  abound. 

To  such  lengths  was  superstition  carried,  that  the 
young  warriors  of  the  tribe  deemed  no  tortures,  how 
ever  brutal  or  sanguinary,  too  severe  that  would  by 
their  endurance  gain  them  the  admittance  to  this 
favored  region ;  and  to  this  end,  annual  feasts  and 
religious  ceremonies  were  instituted,  that  the  appal 
ling  cruelty  of  the  rites  might  well  make  the  stoutest 
heart  tremble,  and  the  most  valiant  spirit  quake  with 
fear.  , 

The  Apaches  were  now  on  the  eve  of  one  of  these 
festivals,  and  those  who  aspired  to  be  considered  as 
braves,  and  to  establish  a  reputation  for  endurance 
under  pain  arid  suffering,  were  making  minute  and 
careful  preparations  to  endure  the  infliction  creditably. 


195 

There  was  to  be  a  series  of  performances  under  the 
sole  supervision  of  one  grand  master  of  ceremonies. 
This  worthy  was  the  head  medicine  of  the  nation,  and 
was  looked  up  to  with  a  species  of  veneration  verging 
upon  adoration.  The  rites  were  to  he  inaugurated  by 
a  grand  dance  in  the  open  air.  The  ground  selected 
for  this  performance  was  immediately  in  front  of  the 
medicine  lodge,  and  embraced  an  area  of  about  half 
an  acre.  Previous  to  the  inception  of  the  ceremonies, 
a  number  of  the  women  were  set  at  work  with  large 
wooden  mallets,  pounding  the  turf,  which  was  done 
in  order  to  make  the  ground  hard,  smooth  and  level. 
As  soon  as  this  was  accomplished,  a  curb  was  erected 
in  the  centre  of  the  space  by  driving  stakes  in  the 
ground  in  the  form  of  a  circle,  just  leaving  sufficient 
space  between  each  one  to  admit  of  a  free  passage  of 
air.  The  curb  rose  to  a  height  of  about  three  feet,  the 
top  being  covered  by  stretching  a  buffalo  robe  over 
the  stakes.  "Within  this  enclosure  was  placed  a  small 
stone  altar,  on  which  burned  the  sacred  flame.  Under 
no  circumstances  was  the  flame  allowed  to  be  extin 
guished.  In  the  event  of  its  ceasing  to  burn,  it  would 
have  been  considered  an  ill  omen,  and  in  order  to  pro 
pitiate  the  Good  Spirit,  it  would  have  become  neces 
sary  to  sacrifice  a  female  captive. 

All  was  now  in  readiness,  and  on  the  following 
morning  Mahtocheega  and  the  chiefs  of  the  nation 
assembled  in  the  medicine  lodge  preparatory  to  com 
mencing  the  "death  dance."  Sixteen  young  men. 


198 

participated  in  the  dance.  They  stood  to  one  side  in 
a  group,  isolated  from  the  crowd.  They  were  decked 
out  in  the  most  gorgeous  trappings,  each  one  person 
ating  some  animal  which  they  imitated  as  closely  as 
possible,  both  in  action  and  sound. 

Beginning  by  circling  around  the  curb  in  a  meas 
ured  tramp  to  the  sound  of  the  Indian  drums  and 
rattles,  they  gradually  accelerated  their  pace  until 
they  were  going  at  full  speed,  meanwhile  indulging 
in  the  most  frightful  yells,  groans,  whoops,  and  cries. 
This  was  kept  up  without  intermission  for,  perhaps, 
fifteen  minutes,  when  the  medicine  man  sounded  a 
shrill  blast  on  his  whistle,  and,  as  if  by  magic,  the  per 
formers  dropped  upon  "  all  fours  "  and  began  to  practice 
the  distinctive  peculiarity  of  the  animals  they  person 
ated.  Their  actions  were  a  source  of  considerable 
amusement  to  the  bystanders,  and  each  actor  was  ap 
plauded  vociferously  when  by  some  particular  gesture, 
or  trick,  he  faithfully  portrayed  the  habits  of  the  ani 
mal  he  represented.  Some  of  these  actions  were  of  a 
very  gross,  not  to  say  revolting  character.  In  the  heat 
of  the  excitement  a  wild  scream  startled  the  bystand 
ers,  and  soon  the  women  were  rushing  in  every  direc 
tion,  seemingly  in  the  most  abject  terror. 

Pursuing  them  was  a  hideous  monster  entirely  nude, 
his  body  being  blackened  with  charcoal  and  bear's 
grease  until  it  shone  like  ebony ;  his  face  was  marked 
with  a  profusion  of  white  rings  about  an  inch  in  diam 
eter,  and  around  his  inouth  were  frightful  indentures 


197 

which  closely  resembled  canine  teeth.  In  addition  to 
his  hideous  appearance,  he  gave  the  most  frightful 
shrieks  as  he  dashed  through  the  crowd.  This  un 
earthly  creature  carried  in  his  hand  a  staff  of  about 
six  feet  in  length,  with  a  red  ball  at  the  end  of  it, 
which  he  pushed  along  the  ground  in  front  of  him  as 
he  ran.  All  eyes,  save  those  of  the  braves  engaged 
in  the  dance,  were  upon  him  as  he  dashed  on  in  pur 
suit  of  the  women.  They  fled  in  the  wildest  disorder 
falling  over  each  other  in  their  frantic  endeavors  to 
elude  the  monster's  grasp. 

The  master  of  ceremonies  now  interfered,  and  ad 
vancing  from  his  position  beside  the  chief,  ran  up  to 
where  the  women  were  struggling  with  the  demon, 
and,  thrusting  his  medicine  pipe  before  the  black 
monster,  held  him  immovable  under  its  charm.  This 
action  enabled  the  females  to  get  safely  out  of  his 
reach,  and  when  free  from  danger,  although  their 
hearts  still  beat  witk  the  excitement,  they  soon  became 
calm,  and,  seeing  that  he  was  ignoniiniously  subjugated 
by  the  charm  of  the  all -potent  pipe,  indulged  in  the 
most  extravagant  laughter,  and  shouts  of  applause  at 
his  sudden  defeat,  and  at  the  ridiculous  posture  in 
which  he  was  held.  They  presented  a  striking  picture 
as  they  stood  there  face  to  face — the  old  man  stand 
ing  erect,  his  face  tremulous  with  suppressed  emotion, 
while  his  eyes  gleamed  with  rage  and  hatred.  The 
evil  spirit  on  the  other  hand,  cowed,  and  trembling, 
eeemed  transfixed  with  terror.  At  intervals  he  w^ould 


108 

make  an  effort  to  break  the  spell,  and  darting  to  one 
side  attempt  to  break  off  in  the  direction  of  the  prairie  ; 
but  the  ever-vigilant  chief  was  at  his  side  in  a  twink 
ling  and  holding  the  potent  charm  to  Ids  nose,  reduce 
him  to  instant  obedience.  Thus  they  stood,  the  one 
with  his  body  painted  black  and  representing  the 
Evil  One,  frowning  everlasting  vengeance  on  the- 
other,  who  sternly  gazed  him  back  with  a  look  of  exulta 
tion  and  contempt,  as  he  held  him  in  check  and  pow 
erless  under  the  influence  of  his  magic  charm. 

When  the  superior  power  of  tthe  chief  had  been 
fully  tested  and  acknowledged,  and  the  women  had 
been  allowed  ample  time  to  remove  themselves  to  a 
safe  distance  and  place  innumerable  barriers  between, 
themselves  and  this  fiendish  monster,  the  pipe  was 
gradually  withdrawn  from  before  him,  and  he  was 
once  more  allowed  to  follow  the  dictates  of  his  low  and 
bestial  mind.  No  sooner  did  he  feel  himself  free 
from  this  constraining  influence  than  he  dashed  into 
the  center  of  the  group  of  dancers,  and  attacking  one 
of  the  young  men  who  was  dressed  in  the  guise  of  a 
buffalo,  hi  ung  ee  a  walikstia  dice  a  naliks  tammee  ung 
s  towa  j  ee  ung  ee  aht  ghwat  ce  o  nungths  tcJia  ho  a 
tummee  osci  no  ah  ughstom  ah  hi  en  ah  nohxt  givi 
a/it  gahtch  gun  ne. 

After  this  performance  he  visited  three  others  in 
succession,  and  indulged  in  antics  of  a  light  character, 
that  elicited  shouts  of  laughter  and  rounds  of  applause. 
The  Indians  considered  the  strict  observance  of  this 


199 

particular  ceremony  as  highly  important,  and  calcu 
lated  to  be  of  great  benefit  in  attracting  game  to  their 
vicinity  in  the  coming  season. 

During  the  scene  Okeehede  had  become  quite  ex 
hausted  by  his  exercise,  and  seemed  to  be  anxiously 
looking  around  for  some  feasible  means  of  escape. 
The  women  had  by  this  time  overcome  the  fear  which 
his  entrance  had  caused,  and  now  gathered  about  him 
in  shoals,  poking  him  with  bits  of  stick,  throwing 
stones  at  his  body,  and  giving  expression  to  their  dis 
like  in  various  ways  that  suggested  themselves  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment.  At  length,  one  more  courageous 
than  the  rest  gathered  a  handful  of  yellow  clay,  and 
drawing  quite  near,  awaited  her  opportunity  when  the 
fiend's  attention  was  directed  to  another  quarter,  then 
dashing  up  to  him,  emptied  the  contents  of  her  hands 
over  his  body.  The  change  was  magical ;  the  yellow 
clay  was  attracted  and  held  by  the  grease  with  which 
his  body  was  besmeared,  turning  his  color  from  black 
to  bright  yellow.  lie  seemed  to  become  quite  heart 
broken  at  this  signal  disgrace,  and  losing  control  of 
his  feelings,  commenced  crying  vehemently,  when,  as 
quick  as  thought,  a  fearless  young  maiden  made  a 
frantic  clutch  at  the  magic,  ball-tipped  wand.  She  was 
successful  beyond  her  most  sanguine  anticipations,  and 
flew  through  the  crowd,  bearing  the  trophy  high  above 
her  head.  The  other  women  gathered  around  her,  be 
seeching  her  to  let  them  break  the  wand,  and  thus 
end  the  spell.  Their  entreaties  were  at  last  acceded 


200 

to,  and  tlie  stick  was  broken  into  fi  ae  bits,  which  were 
hurled  at  their  whilom  owner.  His  power  was  now 
gone ;  his  strength  also,  and,  gathering  his  energies 
for  one  grand  and  final  effort,  he  plunged  headlong 
towards  the  prairie  with  a  howling  mob  of  women  at 
his  heels.  As  he  struggled  along  his  movements  were 
impeded  by  every  known  device,  and  at  each  fall  he 
was  set  upon  by  the  enraged  and  triumphant  females, 
who  exulted  in  his  ignominious  downfall,  supplement 
ing  their  jeers  with  blows  from  sticks,  stones  and 
whips,  until  he  at  length  escaped^  by  diving  into  the 
underbrush  that  grew  at  the  base*bf  the  hills,  and  dis 
appeared  from  view.  The  dance  had  by  this  time  come 
to  an  end,  and  preparations  were  made  for  the  com 
mencement  of  the  cruelties  which  were  about  to  take 
place  within  the  lodge. 

The  medicine  chief,  who  acted  as  master  of  cere 
monies,  approached  Mahtocheega,  and  made  a  requi 
sition  for  musicians,  and  after  a  brief  consultation  he 
gave  orders  to  have  two  of  the  female  cfiptives  per 
form  this  arduous"  and  monotonous  task.  Zoe  and  my 
self  were  chosen,  and  we  were  at  once  ushered  within 
the  sacred  precincts  of  the  lodge.  We  were  the  only 
women  who  were  permitted  to  view  the  scenes  which 
I  am  about  to  relate.  Would  to  God  I  had  been  spared 
the  revolting  spectacle ! 

As  we  entered,  the  candidates  for  the  cruelties  were 
about  taking  their  places  in  spaces  assigned  them,  as 
also  the  chiefs  and  doctors  of  the  tribe,  whose  duty  it 


201 

was  to  look  on,  bear  witness  to,  and  decide  upon  the 
comparative  degree  of  fortitude  with  which  the  young 
men'sustain  themselves  in  this  most  excruciating  or 
deal.  The  chiefs  situated  themselves  on  one  side  of 
the  lodge,  and  opposite  them  were  seated  the  rnusi- 
cians.  Tho  medicine  chief  took  up  his  position  in  the 
center  of  the  circle,  near  a  small  fire,  with  his  big 
pipe  in  his  hands.  Gravely  filling  it  with  k'neck./  ^ 
k'nick,  he  lighted  it  at  the  flame,  and  began  puffing  fy 
great  clouds  in  the  faces  of  the  aspirants,  that  the  .  - 
Great  Spirit  might  give  them  strength  to  bear  their  ^ 
tortures  manfully.  Directly  under  the  aperture  in  the 
roof  of  the  lodge  was  a  curious  arrangement  of  buffalo 
and  human  skulls,  which  were  divided  into  two  par 
cels.  Placed  over  them  at  an  elevation  of  about  five 
feet  was  a  delicate  scaffold  made  of  four  posts,  not 
larger  than  a  willow  rod.  In  the  crotches  of  these 
poles  were  placed  lateral  rods  of  about  the  same  thick 
ness,  and  resting  on  these  transversely  were  a  number 
of  still  more  delicate  sticks.  On  the  center  of  this 
frame  was  a  small  stone  altar,  from  which  issued  the 
sacred  fire.  Immediately  under  the  frame  on  the 
ground  was  placed  a  knife  and  a  bundle  of  splints, 
which  were  kept  in  readiness  for  the  infliction  of  the 
cruelties  which  I  shall  endeavor  to  explain. 

From  the  top  of  the  lodge  depended  a  number  of 
cords,  which,  passing  through  the  roof,  were  held  by 
men  on  the  outside,  who,  on  a  given  signal,  were  to 
suspend  the  victims:  between  heaven  and  earth. 


202 

An  attendant  now  advanced  to  our  side  of  tlio 
structure,  bearing  in  his  arms  two  curious  looking  ob 
jects,  which,  on  investigation,  proved  to  be  sacks 
containing  in  each  about  two  gallons  of  water.  These 
were  articles  of  superstitious  regard,  and  held  in  great 
veneration  by  the  Indians.  They  were  constructed  of 
the  skin  of  the  buffalo's  neck,  and  most  elaborately 
sewed  together  in  the  form  of  a  large  tortoise,  with  a 
bunch  of  eagle's  quills  appended  to  act  the  part  of  tail. 
Accompanying  each  was  a  drumstick,  and,  with  a  few 
directions  how  to  use  it,  he  left  us. 

After  a  brief  incantation,  accompanied  by  more 
vigorous  puffs  at  the  big  pipe,  the  order  was  issued  to 
remove  the  scaffold.  The  skulls  were  placed  on  posts 
at  the  back  of  the  lodge,  and  two  stalwart  savages 
took  up  their  positions  in  the  center  of  the  open  space, 
one  with  the  knife  in  his  hand,  the  other  holding  the 
splints. 

One  by  one  the  candidates  advanced ;  their  frames 
were  greatly  emaciated  by  the  fasting,  thirsting,  and 
wakefulness  to  which  they  had  subjected  themselves 
during  four  days.  Placing  themselves  on  their  hands 
and  feet,  or  otherwise,  as  was  best  suited  for  the  per 
formance  of  the  operation,  they  were  grasped  roughly 
by  the  attendants,  and  an  inch  or  more  of  flesh  taken 
up  between  the  thumb  and  finger  of  the  man  who 
held  the  knife. 

The  knife  had  been  ground  sharply  on  both  sides, 
and  then  notched,  so  that  the  effect  of  pushing  it, 


203 

through  the  skin  might  bo  made  as  painful  as  possible-. 
As  soon  as  the  incision  was  made,  the  attendant  ran  a 
skewer  through  the  still  quivering  flesh.  The  cord 
was  then  lowered  from  the  roof  and  fastened  to  the 
splints,  when,  the  signal  being  given,  the  cords  were 
tightened  and  the  victim  was  suspended  in  mid-air. 
More  splints  were  passed  through  his  shoulders,  arms, 
thighs,  and  legs. 

In  some  instances,  they  remained  upon  the  ground 
until  this  painful  operation  was  completed.  The  time 
consumed  in  preparing  the  victims  for  suspension  was 
about  live  minutes.  As  the  body  dangled  in  mid-air, 
and  while  the  blood  was  streaming  down  the  victim's 
sides,  the  bystanders  would  grasp  at  the  body,  and  hang 
upon  the  splints  each  man's  shield,  bow,  and  quiver. 
In  some  instances,  a  buffalo's  skull  was  attached  to  bis 
lower  limbs,  to  prevent  the  struggling  which  would 
otherwise  have  taken  place,  to  tlie  disadvantage  of  the 
sufferer. 

When  these  were  adjusted,  the  body  was  raised 
higher  until  the  weight  swung  clear.  In  this  plight 
they  became  a  fearful  sight  to  look  upon.  The  flesh, 
to  support  their  bodies  with  the  additional  weights 
attached  thereto,  was  raised  some  eight  inches  by  the 
skewers,  and  their  heads  sinking  forward  on  their 
breasts,  or  thrown  backward  in  a  much  more  frightful 
condition,  was  a  sight  that  made  one's  blood  curdle, 
and  the  heart  turn  sick  at  the  ghastly,  bloody  spec 
tacle.  -  The  fortitude  with  which  the  .victims  bore  this 


204 

torture  almost  surpasses  belief.  As  the  knife  was 
thrust  through  the  flesh  not  a  muscle  moved,  and 
some  even  called  attention  to  their  faces,  and  chal 
lenged  the  judges  to  detect  the  first  symptom  of  weak 
ness  or  faint-heartedness. 

Truly  it  was  a  fearful  sight,  and  as  the  knife  ripped 
through  the  flesh,  it  was  more  than  I  could  bear,  and, 
throwing  down  the  drumstick,  I  gave  way  to  the  most 
violent  grief.  It  was  not  until  I  was  severely  admon 
ished  to  continue  my  task,  that  I  could  sufficiently 
control  my  emotion  and  resume  the  horrid  thrum 
thrum  of  the  monotonous  musrc. 

As  soon  as  a  victim  was  thoroughly  suspended,  a 
number  of  demons  in  human  guise  clustered  around 
him,  devising  means  that  would  make  this  exquisite 
agony  more  intense.  One  would  advance  with  a  long 
pole  in  his  hand  and  commence  turning  the  bleeding 
body,  slowly  at  first,  but  the  motion  would  be  gradual 
ly  accelerated  until  the  victim  would  cry  out  in  bitter 
ness  of  spirit  and  in  tones  the  most  lamentable  and 
heart-rending  that  the  human  voice  is  capable  of 
producing ;  appealing  to  the  Great  Spirit  and  beseech 
ing  liiin  not  to  forsake  his  servant  in  this,  his  hour  of 
severest  agony. 

He  is  turned  faster  and  faster.  There  is  no  hope  for 
escape ;  not  the  slightest  respite,  until  by  fainting  he 
is  relieved  from  his  tormentors,  and  left  to  hang, 
apparently  a  lifeless  corpse.  When  it  has  been  ascer 
tained  that  he  ist  as  they  term  it,  "  entirely  dead,"  his 


205 

torture  ceases,  and  there  hangs  suspended  by  cords,  all 
that  remains  of  a  form  that  a  few  hours  since  was 
instinct  with  life  and  vigor.  His  medicine  bag,  which 
he  has  clung  to  all  through  the  trying  ordeal  with  the 
tenacity  of  despair,  has  dropped  to  the  ground.  Even 
this  potent  charm  deserts  its  owner  in  his  hour  of 
greatest  need,  when,  if  at  any  time,  its  supposed  super 
natural  protection  should  be  most  felt. 

The  signal  is  now  given  to  the  men  on  the  outoide 
of  the  lodge  to  lower  the  body,  and  he  is  gently  laid 
upon  the  ground.  In  this  helpless  condition  he  lies, 
looking  like  some  mass  of  putreiaction  that  has  just 
been  removed  from  a  charnel-house.  During  this 
time  he  is  said  to  be  in  the  keeping  of  the  Great  Spirit, 
whom  he  trusts  will  protect,  and  finally  give  him 
strength  to  get  up  and  walk  away.  After  lying  some 
time  on  the  ground,  an  attendant  removes  the  splints 
from  the  breasts  and  shoulders,  thereby  disengaging 
him  from  the  cords  by  which  he  has  been  suspended, 
but  the  others,  with  the  weights  attached,  are  suffered 
to  remain  imbedded  in  the  bleeding  wounds. 

As  soon  as  consciousness  returns  he  attempts  to 
move.  "No  one  is  allowed  to  assist  him  or  ofler  him 
aid,  as  he  is  now  in  the  enjoyment  of  one  of  the  most 
exalted  privileges  that  Apaches  can  lay  claim  to — that 
of  trusting  his  life  to  the  keeping  of  the  Great  Spirit. 
Presently  he  crawls  away,  dragging  his  weigiits  after 
him,  which,  as  they  clatter  over  the  hard  earthen  floor 
of  the  lodge,  make  a  mournful  accompaniment  to  his 


206 

groans  and  sobs.  He  creeps  to  another  part  of  the 
lodge ;  where  a  savage  sits  in  grim  silence  awaiting 
his  coming.  In  his  hand  is  a  hatchet,  and  immediate 
ly  in  front  of  him  is  a  dried  "buffalo  skull.  The  sufferer 
draws  near,  and,  holding  up  the  little  linger  of  his  left 
hand,  makes  a  short  speech,  and  calling  upon  the  Great 
Spirit  to  witness  his  self -sacrifice,  unflinchingly  lays 
the  doomed  finger  on  the  skull.  One  quick,  sharp 
stroke  by  the  Indian  who  wields  the  hatchet  and  the 
linger  drops  from  the  hand — a  sacrifice  to  a  fanatic's 
zeal. 

No  bandages  are  applied  t<5  the  fingers,  nor  are  any 
arteries  taken  up;  in  fact,  no  attention  whatever  of  a 
surgical  character  is  paid  to  the  wounds,  lacerations, 
and  bruises.  They  are  left  for  the  "  Great  Spirit  to 
cure." 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  the  bleeding  is  not  so 
profuse  as  might  be  expected  from  the  Severity  of  the 
torture,  and  soon  ceases,  probably  from  the  fact  of 
their  extreme  exhaustion  and  debility;  the  want  of 
sustenance  and  sleep,  checks  the  natural  circulation, 
and  is  at  the  same  time  an  admirable  preparation  for 
the  tortures,  and  enables  them  to  bear  the  infliction 
without  the  same  degree  cf  pain  that  might,  under  other 
circumstances,  result  in  inflammation  and  death.  Dur 
ing  these  cruel  scenes,  the  chiefs  and  dignitaries  of  the 
tribe  are  looking  on  unmoved,  and  by  takingmental  notes 
of  the  way  in  which  the  victim  bears  this  terrible  tor 
ture,  decide  who  are  the  hardiest  and  stoutest  hearted, 


207 

who  can  hang  the  longest  by  his  flesh  without  fainting,' 
and  who  will  be  the  soonest  up  after  he  is  cut  down. 
In  this  way  they  judge  of  the  physical  capacity  of  the 
young  braves  to  bear  hunger,  fatigue,  and  Buffering ; 
and  to  those  who  acquit  themselves  the  most  worthily 
is  entrusted  the  leadership  of  "  forlorn  hopes,"  war 
parties  resolved  on  desperate  enterprises,  etc.,  etc. 

This  scene  was  enacted  during  a  whole  day,  and  in 
that  time  some  forty  or  fifty  young  men  went  through 
the  agonies  of  suspension  and  amputation.  All  the 
while  the  din  and  clatter  was  undiniimshed.  Did  we 
but  relax  our  efforts  for  a  moment,  a  brawny  savage 
was  at  our  side,  and  by  word  and  blow  commanded  us 
to  recommence. 

What  with  the  physical  and  mental  fatigue  caused 
by  this  continuous  and  seemingly  everlasting  thrum 
ming,  joined  to  the  horrid  sights,  sounds  and  emotions 
to  which  we  were  subjected,  and  the  revolting  and 
bloody  nature  of  the  drama,  it  seemed  as  if  we  were 
under  the  influence  of  a  horrid  nightmare.  As  if  we 
had  suddenly  been  wafted  away  in  the  arms  of  some 
hideous  genii  to  realms  of  darkness,  and  were  malici 
ously  compelled  to  be  the  unwilling  spectators  of 
scenes  which  even  at  this  day,  the  bare  remembrance 
of,  causes  the  blood  to  chill  with  horror  and  the  frame  to 
vibrate  with  agony  at  their  recollection.  God  grant 
that  such  cruelties  may  soon  disappear  off  the  face  of 
the  earth,  together  with  the  actors  and  instigators  of 
tlwse  horrible  rites  ! 


CHAPTEK  XXIII. 

THE    WAB    PAKTY. 

(*jjj& HE  following  morning  found  me  entirely  occu- 
\jc)  pied  with  my  new  plan  of  escape,  and  I  lost  no 

ftime  in  gaining  such  infprination  as  I  could,  con 
cerning    Stonhawon's   intentions  respecting  his 
projected  expedition. 

By  making  a  few  cautious  inquiries  of  some  of  the 
warriors  whom  I  knew  to  be  favorably  disposed  towards 
me,  I  learned  that  the  party  would  probably  depart 
within  three  days.  The  first  point  necessary  to  the 
success  of  my  plan  was  to  obtain  the  consent  of  Wa- 
kometkla,  and  this  I  feared  would  be  no  easy  task. 
After  considering  the  matter  fully,  I.  concluded  that 
my  best  course  would  be  first  to  get  Stonhawon's  per 
mission  to  accompany  the  party,  and,  if  possible,  in 
duce  him  to  intercede  for  me  with  the  old  medicine 
man. 

To  the  lodge  of  this  redoubtable  chief  I  accordingly 
bent  my  steps,  and,  on  approaching  it,  found  him 
eeated  without,  engaged  in  conversation  with  several 
of  the  older  warriors,  Not  daring  to  interrupt  their 
conference,  I  remained  at  a  little  distance  until  the 


209 

interview  was  ended.  From  the  few  sentences  I.  over 
heard  I  concluded  that  the  chief  was  unfolding  his 
plans  or  some  portion  of  them  to  the  principal  war 
riors  of  his  party.  Directly  the  council  seemed  to  be 
over,  and  the  warriors  separated,  leaving  the  chief 
seated  as  before  at  the  entrance  to  his  lodge.  I  was 
about  to  approach  him  and  proffer  my  request,  when 
Ilissodecha,  the  renegade,  suddenly  made  his  appear 
ance,  and  walking  directly  up  to  Stonhawon  addressed 
him  as  follows : 

"  My  brother  is  going  on  the  war-path  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Ilissodecha,"  said  the  chief ;  "  I  am  weary 
of  this  idleness,  and  my  young  men  are  impatient  and 
clamor  to  be  led  against  the  Arapahoes,  who  have  in 
vaded  our  territory  and  cut  off  several  of  our  hunting 
parties.  I  have  therefore  determined  to  take  out  a 
strong  party  and  strike  a  blow  that  will  teach  these 
cowardly  horse  thieves  a  lesson  ? n 

"  Stonhawon,"  said  Ilissodecha,  "  it  is  my  wish  that 
we  should  be  friends,  and  that  the  ill-feeling  which 
has  existed  between  us  and  our  young  men  should 
cease.  For  this  reason  I  have  come  to  offer  you  my 
services  on  your  expedition  as  a  volunteer,  and  if  you 
accept  my  offer,  I  will  join  your  party  with  my  entire 
band  and  serve  under  your  orders.  Let  iny  brother 
speak.  I  await  his  decision. 

While  Hissodecha  was  speaking,  I  observed  a  grati 
fied  expression  upon  the  countenance  of  Stonhawon, 

and  I  saw  that  he  would  gladly  avail  himself  of  the 

U 


210 

renegade's  offer.  But  why  Ilissodccha  should  make 
so  unusual  a  proposition  puzzled  me  extremely,  aud  I 
waited  anxiously  to  hear  the  remainder  of  their  conver 
sation. 

As  the  renegade  ceased  speaking,  Stonhawon  aro*e 
in  silence,  filled  and  lighted  his  pipe  and  passed  it  to 
Ilissodccha,  who  took  a  few  whiffs  and  returned  it  to 
the  chief.  The  latter  followed  his  example,  and  then, 
emptying  the  pipe,  he  returned  it  to  its  case  of  fawa 
skin,  gaily  decorated  with  the  quills  of  the  porcupine 
stained  in  bright  colors,  and  spoke  as  follows : 

"  Hissodecha,  your  words  are  good  ;  you  are  a  great 
brave,  and  you  shall  ride  with  me  on, the  war-path. 
"With  your  aid  I  shall  surely  be  successful,  and  when 
we  return  in  triumph,  who  shall  deny  to  the  friend  of 
Stonhawon  a  seat  in  the  council  ?  1  know  my  brother's 
wish,  and  it  shall  yet  be  gratified.  Now,  let  us  assem 
ble  our  warriors  and  make  ready  for  departure,  as  I 
wish  to  start  before  sunrise  to-morrow." 

To  this  the  renegade  yielded  a  ready  assent,  adding 
that  his  party  could  be  ready  to  leave  in  an  hour  if 
necessary.  He  then  said  : 

"I  must  ask  my  brother  one  favor,  and  that  is  that 
Tahteckadahair  may  accompany  our  party." 

"  Why  does  Ilissodecha  ask  this  ? "  said  the  chief, 
looking  at  me  in  surprise ;  for,  on  hearing  my  name 
mentioned^  I  had  drawn  nearer.  "  Does  my  brother 
not  know  that  no  one  but  Wakometkla  can.  grant  his 
request  ? " 


211 

"  Because,"  said  Hissodecha,  "  if  Stonhawon  asks 
the  medicine  chief,  lie  will  not  refuse  ;  but  were  I  to 
make  such  a  request,  it  would  be  in  vain." 

Stonhawon  reflected  for  a  moment  arid  then  addressed 
me  so  abruptly  that  for  an  instant  I  was  confused  and 
unable  to  make  a  reply. 

"  Tahteckadahair ,"  said  he,  "  why  do  you  wish  to 
join  the  war  party  which  I  am  about  to  take  out  ? " 

I  was  endeavoring  to  frame  a  reply  when  the  rene 
gade  answered  for  me. 

"  The  young  man  is  tired,"  he  said,  "  of  being  left 
in  the  village  with  the  squaws  and  old  men  while  the 
other  young  braves  are  going  to  war  or  to  hunt  and 
winning  scalps  and  plunder.  He  thinks  that  he  should 
be  given  the  same  privileges  as  others  since  he  has 
been  regularly  adopted  into  the  tribe,  and  I  think  his 
request  is  a  reasonable  one  and  should  be  granted." 

I  now  added  my  persuasions  to  those  of  Hissodceha, 
and  Stonhawon  finally  said  that  if  Wakometkla'e  con 
sent  could  be  gained  he  would  have  no  objection  to  my 
forming  one  of  his  party.  lie  also  said  that  he  would 
speak  to  the'  medicine  chief  and  use  his  influence  to 
get  his  consent  to  my  making  my  first  appearance  as 
a  warrior. 

He  was  as  good  as  his  word,  and  a  few  hours  later 
I  saw  him  enter  the  temple,  evidently  in  search  of  the 
old  man.  Ilissodecha  was  confident  that  his  request 
would  be  granted,  and  I  accordingly  busied  myself, 
under  his  direction,  in  preparing  to  make  my  ddnd  as 


212 

a  Camanche  brave  on  the  war-path.  The  renegade  easi"  y 
supplied  me  with  the  necessary  weapons  and  equi  > 
merits  from  his  own  stock,  and  I  soon  found  myself 
provided  with  along  steel-pointed  lance, adorned  with 
a  crimson  pennon,  and  a  sort  of  battle-axe  of  an  an 
cient  pattern,  evidently  the  spoil  of  some  Mexican 
hacienda. 

Besides  these  a  war  bow,  a  quiver  of  arrows,  the  r 
points  dipped  in  the  subtle  poison  used  by  the  C;i- 
manches,  and  a  tomahawk  and  scaiping-knife  weie 
given  me.  These  completed  rny  offensive  equipments. 

For  defense,  besides  all  tliese,  I  received  a  circular 
shield  made  of  the  tough  hide  of  the  buffalo  bull 
stretched  upon  a  wooden  frame,  and  dried  and  harden 
ed  until  it  was  almost  of  the  consistency  of  iron.  To 
provide  me  with  a  horse  was  the  next  thing  in  order, 
and  this  did  not  promise  to  be  very  difficult,  as  more 
than  two  thousand  mustangs  were  grazing  upon  the 
plain. 

The  renegade,  however,  was  not  easily  suited  in  his 
choice  of  a  horse.  Thorough  horse  jockeys  as  all  the 
Camanches  are.  Ilissodecha  seemed  the  sharpest  of 
the  tribe  in  this  particular.  Of  this  fact  I  had  be 
come  aware  long  before,  for  in  the  races  which  the 
Indians  so  frequently  indulged  in,  he  was  almost  in 
variably  the  winner,  thus  showing  that  he  possessed 
rare  knowledge  and  judgment  of  the  points  of  a  good 
horse. 

On  this  occasion  I  began  to  think  that  he  would  ex- 


213 

baust  the  supply  before  he  found  one  to  his  mind,  but 
after  rejecting  about  forty  for  one  fault  or  another, 
most  of  which  blemishes  I  was  entirely  unable  to  dis 
cover,  he  fixed  upon  a  large  piebald  mustang  as  the 
one  who  should  have  the  honor  of  bearing  me  upon 
my  first  war-path. 

Leading  the  horse  back  towards  the  village,  we  sooa 
reached  the  spot  where  the  warriors  who  were  to  form 
the  expedition  had  already  picketed  their  horses  for 
the  night,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  an  early  start  on  the 
morrow.  Staking  my  new  acquisition  out  upon  the 
plain,  we  returned  to  the  lodge,  and  my  strange  friend, 
handing  me  a  hair  bridle  and  a  buffalo  robe  and 
leathern  girth,  told  me  to  get  some  food  and  retiirn 
to  his  lodge  in  an  hour,  and  he  would  "  paint  "  me 
for  the  war-path.  I  was  too  much  excited  to  eat  much, 
and  my  simple  meal  was  soon  dispatched. 

On  entering  the  temple,  I  had  looked  around  ap 
prehensively,  expecting  to  meet  Wakometkla,  and 
rather  dreading  to  encounter  him,  feeling  uncertain 
what  sort  of  a  reception  I  would  meet  with.  The 
old  medicine  man,  however,  was  not  to  be  seen,  and 
I  wandered  through  the  various  apartments  with 
which  I  had  become  so  familiar  during  the  long  years 
of  my  captivity,  wondering  if  this  was  really  to  be  my 
last  look  at  them,  or  if  my  desperate  scheme  was  to 
result  in  failure,  and  end  in  my  being  brought  back, 
perhaps  to  torture  and  death. 

It  was  now  time  for  me  to  return  to  Hissodecha, 


and  I  started  to  leave  the  temple  for  that  purposo. 
Crossing  the  mystery  chamber,  I  was  about  to  ascend 
the  ladder,  when  a  tall  form  suddenly  emerged  from 
the  obscurity  of  a  recess  in  the  wall,  arid  Wakometkla 
stood  before  me.  The  old  man  seemed  strangely  mov 
ed  for  one  of  his  stern  nature  and  practical  stoicisi  i. 
Taking  me  by  the  hand,  he  led  me  to  the  center  of 
the  room,  where  the  light  of  the  sacred  fire  enabled 
him  to  more  plainly  discern  iny  features, arid  gazed 
upon  me  for  a  moment  without  speaking.  At  length  ho 
spoke  in  a  low  tone,  unlike  his  usual  sonorous  accent;*: 

"So  my  son  is  not  content  to  remain  in  peace  and 
safety  with  me  here,  but  longs  to  go  forth  in  search 
of  adventure,  and  to  emulate  the  deeds  of  the  foolish 
young  braves,  who  imagine  that  they  are  already 
great  warriors  ? " 

I  was  at  a  loss  what  to  reply,  but  managed  to  mutter 
a  few  words  expressive  of  my  desire  to  take  part  in  at 
least  one  war  party,  and  assured  him  that  I  would  be 
certain  to  return  in  safety. 

"  You  cannot  be  sure  of  that ;  "  said  the  old  man,  in 
what  seemed  to  me  a  sad  tone,  "  we  cannot  control 
our  fate  ;  but  as  you  wish  to  go  you  shall  have  your 
wish.  At  Stonhawon's  request  I  have  given  my  con 
sent,  and  I  shall  sacrifice  to  Quetzal coatl  for  your 
speedy  and  safe  return.  Now  go  and  complete  your 
preparations,  for  you 'hare  no  time  to  lose.'* 

So  saying,  he  turned  and  left  the  apartment  without 
another  word. 


215 

At  this  moment,  despite  my  ardent  longing  to 
escape  from  an  existence  that  was  loathsome  to  me, 
and  return  to  my  own  people,  I  could  not  avoid  a 
feeling  of  regret  at  the  idea  of  parting  from  this 
noble  specimen  of  his  race,  to  whom  I  was  indebted  for 
my  life,  and  for  the  many  acts  of  kindness  which  had 
rendered  my  captivity  endurable.  But  the  measure  of 
regret  I  felt  was  not  sufficient  to  turn  me  from  my 
purpose,  and  remembering  my  appointment  with'  His- 
sodecha,  I  hastened  to  fulfill  it. 

In  crossing  the  open  square  before  the  temple,  I 
met  Stonhawon,  who  informed  me  that  the  party 
would  start  at  daybreak,  and  warned  me  to  be  in  readi 
ness.  Assuring  him  that  there  was  no  danger  of  my 
forgetting  it,  I  hurried  to  the  lodge  of  the  renegade, 
whom  I  found  in  no  very  amiable  humor  at  my  delay. 
On  explaining  the  cause  of  my  detention,  his  ill  tem 
per  was  abated,  and  he  quickly  proceeded  to  prepare 
me  for  my  appearance  in  my  new  role  of  an  Indian 
warrior.  Stripping  me  entirely,  he  invested  me  with 
a  new  pair  r>£  leggings  and  mocassins ;  leaving  mo 
naked  to  the  waist.  Producing  a  number  of  little 
packets  containing  pigments  of  various  colors,  he  com 
menced  operations  by  painting  my  face,  neck  and 
breast  blood  red,  and  my  arms  and  the  rest  of  my  per 
son  that  was  exposed  in  alternate  bands  of  black  and 
yellow.  Upon  my  breast  he  delineated  with  consid 
erable  skill  the  figure  of  a  grizzly  bear ;  upon  my 
forehead  a  star,  and  across  my  face  narrow  stripes  of 


216 

black.  My  arms  he  encircled  with  black  and  white 
rings  at  regular  intervals,  and  then  laying  aside  his 
colors,  held  up  before  me  a  small  mirror,  that  I  might 
view  the  picture  I  presented.  My  contemplation  of 
myself  satisfied  me  that  I  made  about  as  hideous  look 
ing  a  savage  as  any  in  the  village — but  of  that  the 
reader  can  judge  for  himself  from  the  accompanying 
picture,  which  is  a  very  accurate  representation  of  me 
ae  I  then  appeared.  Hissodecha  finished  his  work  'oy 
saturating  my  hair,  which  reached  nearly  to  my  waist, 
with  a  mixture  of  oil  and  some  black  coloring,  which  re  n- 
dercd  my  appearance  moiVsavage  than  ever.  He  thon 
bound  about  my  head  a  narrow  fillet  or  band  of  scarlet 
cloth,  and  placed  in  it  two  feathers  or  plumes  stained 
blue.  lie  then  stood  off  and  viewed  me  fora  moment, 
and  pronounced  my  toilet  complete,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  a  few  ornaments.  These  he  soon  provided  in 
the  shape  of  a  pair  of  bracelets  of  roughly  beaten  gold. 
My  necklace  of  silver,  which  Wakometkla  had  placed 
upon  my  neck  when  he  first  took  me  in  charge,  I  still 
wore,  and  the  renegade,  surveying  his  work  with  some 
complacency,  remarked  that  no  young  brave  of  the 
party  would  present  a  finer  or  more  warlike  appearance 
from  the  Indian  point  of  view  than  myself.  lie  then 
presented  me  with  a  fine  scrape  for  protection  against 
the  weather,  and  advising  me  to  get  what  sleep  I 
could,  dismissed  me  for  the  night,  bidding  me  lie 
down  in  his  lodge  upon  some  skins.  My  excitement, 
however,  was  so  great,  that  I  found  it  impossible  to 


217 

Bleep ;  I  was  impatient  for  the  dawn,  that  I  might  be 
in  motion,  and  leaving  in  y  hated  valley  prison,  as  I 
fondly  hoped,  for  the  last  time. 

The  hours  dragged  wearily  away,  and  it  seemed  as 
if  the  morning  would  never  come  ;  but  at  last  a  faint 
glimmer  of  light  in  the  east  showed  that  the  time  for 
action  had  come.  I  started  up,  and  taking  my  simple 
horse  furniture,  made  my  way  to  where  the  horses 
were  picketed.  I  found  many  of  the  warriors  already 
astir  and  leading  their  horses  to  the  water.  Joining 
them,  I  had  soon  attended  to  the  wants  of  my 
charger,  bridled  him,  and  strapping  the  buffalo  robe 
upon  his  back,  I  mounted  him  and  rode  back  to 
the  lodge  of  Hissodecha.  At  the  same  time  he 
emerged  from  the  lodge  in  all  the  full  glory  of  his 
war  paint.  His  horse  had  already  been  brought  up 
by  one  of  his  band,  and  advising  me  to  eat  as  hearty 
a  meal  as  possible,  he  mounted  and  rode  down  to 
where  the  warriors  were  assembling.  Hastily  devour 
ing  a  few  mouthful s  of  tasajo,  I  speedily  followed 
him,  and  although  but  a  few  moments  had  elapsed, 
found  the  party  almost  ready  to  start. 

The  entire  population  of  the  village  had  by  this 
time  assembled  to  see  us  off,  and  I  found  myself  the 
subject  of  some  very  flattering  remarks  as  I  rode 
through  the  throngs  of  women,  children,  and  dogs, 
while  immediately  surrounding  the  war-party  were 
grouped  all  the  male  members  of  the  community  who 
were  not  of  the  expedition.  The  renegade  had  di- 


218 

rected  me  to  attach  myself  to  his  band,  and  1  accord- 
ingly  did  so,  being  received  with  great  cordiality  by 
the  younger  braves,  who  complimented  me  on  my 
warlike  aspect  and  fine  equipments.  Stonhawon,  who 
had  been  holding  a  hurried  consultation  with  Ton 
saroyoo,  who  stood  aloof  as  though  not  wishing  to 
compromise  his  dignity  by  evincing  any  interest  in  an 
expedition  which  he  did  not  lead,  now  rode  np  and 
gave  the  signal  for  departure.  Instantly  the  band, 
numbering  about  five  hundred  warriors,  wheeled,  and 
forming  with  the  rapidity  of  thought  in  single  file, 
the  only  formation  used  on* the  march  by  the  prairie 
Indians,  rode  off  at  a  rapid  pace  down  the  valley, 
amid  the  shouts  and  yells  of  those  we  left  behind.  By 
this  time  the  sun  had  fully  risen,  and  on  looking  back 
I  could  see  upon  the  summit  of  the  temple  the  usual 
group  of  priests  and  their  assistants,  and  among  them 
I  could  plainly  distinguish  the  tall  figure  of  Wako- 
mctkla.  I  fancied  that  I  could  see  him  wave  his  hand 
as  if  in  adieu,  but  it  may  have  been  only  fancy,  for 
the  distance  was  too  great  to  decide  with  certainty. 

As  we  rode  rapidly  along,  I  noted  every  object 
rendered  familiar  by  my  long  residence  in  the  valley 
with  a  peculiar  interest,  for  1  hoped  that  I  was  look 
ing  upon  the  well-known  scene  for  the  last  time. 

It  was  a  glorious  morning,  and  the  exhilaration  of 
the  rapid  motion,  as  my  horse  bore  me  along  with 
proud,  springy  step,  seemed  to  increase  my  strength, 
and  I  experienced  a  buoyancy  of  spirits  and  a  vigor  of 


219 

body  I  had  never  known  before.  I  felt  strangely 
hopeful  and  exultant — in  fact  it  seemed  as  if  I  were 
already  free. 

Riding  rapidly  we  eoon  reached  the  valley's  lower 
extremity,  and  passing  around  the  face  of  the  cliff 
upon  the  narrow  ledge  described  in  a  previous  chapter, 
we  crossed  the  crest  of  the  mountain  range,  and  de 
scended  by  a  zig-zag  trail  to  the  plain  below. 

Our  route  lay  directly  across  the  desert  to  the  east 
ward,  and  it  was  well  into  the  afternoon  before  we 
had  passed  it  and  reached  the  great  grass  prairie 
beyond.  On  reaching  the  prairie  our  course  was 
deflected  to  the  north,  and  about  sundown  we  halted 
at  a  spring  known  as  the  •'*  Ojo  Caliente"  which  the 
leaders  of  the  party  had  evidently  selected  as  our 
camping  ground  for  the  night.  The  order  to  halt 
once  given,  we  went  into  bivouac  with  marvelous 
celerity.  Our  horses  were  picketed  in  a  wide  circle 
far  out  upon  the  plain,  as  the  gramma*  grass  there  is 
longer  and  more  luxuriant  than  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  springs.  Stripping  our  animals 
of  their  equipments,  we  bring  them  to  within  about  a 
hundred  yards  of  the  spring.  Each  man  strikes  his 
spear  into  the  ground,  and  rests  against  it  his  shield, 
bow  and  quiver.  lie  places  his  robe  or  skin  beside 
it.  There  is  his  tent  and  bed.  The  row  of  spears 
are  soon  aligned  upon  the  prairie,  forming  a  front  of 
several  hundred  yards,  and  our  camp  is  complete. 
No  drilled  troops  in  the  world  can  equal  the  rapidity 


220 

with  which  these  Indians  form  or  break  camp ;  and 
yet  every  movement  is  executed  without  orders,  and 
as  if  by  intuition.  Fires  were  soon  kindled,  and  strips 
of  tasajo  brought  forth  and  cooked.  Pipes  were 
lighted,  and  the  warriors  sit  in  groups  around  the  red 
blaze,  recounting  their  adventures,  and  laughing  and 
chattering  incessantly.  The  paint  glitters  upon  their 
naked  bodies  in  the  glare  of  the  lires ;  it  is  a  wild  and 
savage  scene,  and  yet  grotesque  in  its  very  savageness. 
For  two  hours  we  remain  about  the  fires,  some  cook 
ing  and  eating,  others  smoking,  others  freshening  the 
hideous  devices  of  the  war  *paint  with  which  all  are 
besmeared.  Then  the  horse-guard  is  detailed,  and 
marches  off  to  the  caballada,  and  the  Indians,  one 
after  another,  spread  their  robes  upon  the  ground, 
roll  themselves  in  their  sera/pes  or  blankets,  and  are 
soon  asleep.  For  a  time  I  found  it  impossible  to  sleep, 
although  wearied  with  the  unaccustomed  exercise  of 
the  journey.  '  Reclining  upon  my  robe  in  a  half 
sitting  posture,  I  watch  the  scene  around  me.  The 
fires  have  ceased  to  blaze,  but  by  the  light  of  the 
moon  I  can  distinguish  the  prostrate  bodies  of  the 
savages.  White  objects  arc  moving  among  them ; 
they  are  dogs,  prowling  about  in  search  of  the  remains 
of  thoir  supper.  These  run  from  point  to  point, 
growling  at  one  another,  and  barking  at  the  coyotea 
that  sneak  around  the  outskirts  of  the  camp.  Out  upon 
the  prairie  the  horses  are  still  awake  and  busy.  I  can 
hear  them  stamping  their  hoofs  and  cropping  the  rich 


221 


pasture.  At  intervals  along  tlie  line  I  can  see  erect 
forms  standing  motionless;  these  are  the  guards  of 
the  caballada.  At  length  I  begin  to  grow  drowsy, 
and  lying  down  upon  my  robe,  I  wrap  myself  in  my 
terape,  and  in  a  few  moments  am  asieep. 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 

MT    FIRST   SCALP. 

WAS  roused  before  dawn  by  the  stir  and  bustle 
around  me.  On  rising  to  my  feet,  I  found  the 
D  party  preparing  to  march.  Every  warrior  ran 
out  for  his  horse ;  the  packets  were  drawn,  and 
the  animals  led  in  and  watered.  They  are  bridled ; 
the  robes  are  thrown  over  them  and  girthed.  We 
pluck  up  our  lances,  sling  our  quivers,  seize  OUT  shields 
and  bows,  and  leap  lightly  upon  horseback.  Our  line 
is  already  formed,  and,  wheeling  in  our  tracks,  wo 
ride  off'  in  single  file  to  the  northward. 

From  conversation  with  rny  companions  the  night 
previous,  I  had  discovered  that  only  the  leaders  of  the 
party  knew  our  destination.  The  rank  and  file  were 
as  ignorant  of  the  intentions  of  their  commanders  as 
is  usually  the  case  among  the  armies  of  more  civilized 
peoples.  The  young  braves  who  were  my  chosen 
companions  on  the  inarch  and  in  the  camp,  neither 
knew  nor  cared  whither  we  were  bound.  They  ex 
pected  the  expedition  to  result  in  our  return  with  an 
abundance  of  scalps  and  plunder,  and  that  was  all  they 
cared  about.  During  the  forenoon  we  passed  over  a 
"  motte  "of  prairie  or  park.  Its  surface  was  nearly 


223 

level,  but  it  was  studded  here  and  there  with  clumps 
and  coppices  of  cottonwoods  and  other  trees  and  shrubs. 

To  the  north  the  horizon  was  shut  in  by  a  lofty 
mountain  chain  which  seemingly  barred  our  pathway, 
although  at  a  great  distance,  and  between  us  and  this 
barrier  was  a  range  of  much  lees  elevation,  such  as 
are  called  "  foot  hills  "  in  this  region. 

About  noon  we  came  upon  a  small  stream  which 
crossed  our  line  of  march,  running  off  to  the  eastward. 
Upon  its  banks  we  halted  for  a  short  period,  watering 
and  feeding  our  horses,  and  satisfying  our  own  appe 
tites  from  our  supply  of  dried  meat.  This  done  we 
resumed  our  march.  We  now  found  the  timber  islands 
became  less  frequent,  and  in  half  an  hour's  ride  we 
left  them  altogether  behind,  and  rode  for  several  miles 
over  an  open  plain.  We  saw  timber  ahead  of  us,  and 
had  approached  within  about  a  mile  of  it  when  one  of 
the  nmners  or  spies,  about  fifty  of  whom  were  scout 
ing  ahead,  came  back  and  reported  to  the  chief  that 
they  had  discovered  a  small  herd  of  buffalo  grazing 
upon  a  small  prairie  or  sort,  of  natural  clearing  be 
yond  the  belt  of  woods. 

Although  we  were  well  provided  with  dried  meat, 
the  prospect  of  fresh  buffalo  steak  was  not  un  pi  easing, 
and  a  hunt  was  at  once  determined  upon. 

Halting  the  party  Stonhawon  directed  the  renegade 
to  take  his  own  band  and  join  the  scouts  ahead.  To 
gether  the  bands  would  constitute  a  hunting  party  of 
about  one  hundred  warriors,  quite  large  enough  for 


224 

the  destruction  of  the  small  herd  before  ns.  As  I  had 
attached  myself  to  the  band  of  Ilissodecha,  I  found 
myself  destined  to  take  part  in  the  enterprise,  and  an 
ticipated  no  little  amusement  and  sport. 

Riding  forward  cautiously  until  we  reached  the  tim 
ber,  which  was  a  not  very  dense  chaparral,  we  rode 
elow]y  and  silently  through  the  bushes  until  we  en 
countered  a  number  of  scouts  cac/ied  in  the  thicket, 
and  evidently  waiting  for  us. 

"What  is  it  Ilan-na-ta-mauh ? "  asked  Ilissodecha 
of  the  leader  of  the  scouts  as  they  rode  up. 

The  scout  replied  that  thSy  had  found  the  fresh 
tracks  of  a  small  herd  of  buffaloes,  and  on  following 
them  up  had  found  the  animals  feeding  upon  a  small 
prairie  beyond  the  chaparral  in  which  we  were  concealed. 
The  renegade  dismounted,  and  telling  me  to  accom 
pany  him,  walked  forward  with  the  scout  to  the  edge 
of  the  thicket.  Peering  cautiously  through  the  leaves, 
we  had  a  full  view  of  the  open  ground.  The  buila- 
loes  were  upon  the  plain. 

It  was,  as  Hanatamauh  had  said,  a  small  prairie 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  width,  closed  in  on  all 
sides  by  a  thick  chaparral.  Xear  the  center  was  a 
motte  of  heavy  timber  growing  up  from  a  dense  un 
derwood.  A  spur  of  willows  running  out  from  the 
timber  denoted  the  presence  of  water. 

"  There's  a  spring  there/'  said  the  renegade,  turn 
ing  to  me ;  "  I  have  been  here  before,  and  know  the 
ground.  IIow  can  we  get  at  them  ? "  he  continued, 


225 

turning  to  the  scout ;  "  do  you  think  we  can  approach 
them?" 

"No,"  said  Hanatamauh,  "there  is  not  cover 
enough ;  and  besides,  they  are  getting  further  away 
from  the  bushes  as  they  feed." 

"  What  then  ?  "  asked  Ilissodecha  ;  "  we  can't  run 
them ;  they  would  be  off  through  the  thicket  in  a  mo 
ment,  and  we  would  lose  them  all." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  scout.  "  that  is  certain ;  but  we 
can  get  them  for  all  that.  I  never  saw  a  better  place 
for  a  '  surround/  and  it  will  take  but  a  short  time  to 
got  your  braves  in  position." 

"  True,"  said  Ilissodecha,  "  if  the  wind  is  right- 
How  is  it?" 

"  There  is  none,"  said  the  scout  taking  a  feather 
from  his  head-dress  and  tossing  it  in  the  air.  "  You 
see  it  falls  direct." 

"  I  see,"  said  Ilissodecha  ;  "  let  us  divide  the  men. 
We  have  enough  to  pen  them  in  completely.  You 
can  guide  one-half  of  them  to  their  stands.  I  will  go 
with  the  rest.  You,  Tahteckadahair,"  he  continued, 
"  had  better  bring  up  your  horse  and  stay  where  you 
are.  It  is  about  as  good  a  stand  as  you  can  get.  You 
will  have  to  wait  patiently,  as  it  may  be  an  hour  be 
fore  all  are  placed.  When  you  hear  the  signal,  which 
will  be  the  hunter's  whistle,  you  may  gallop  forward 
and  do  your  best.  If  we  succeed  we  shall  have  plenty 
of  sport  and  a  good  supper,  and  I  suppose  you  aro 

ready  for  that  by  this  time." 

15 


226 

The  renegade  now  left  me,  followed  by  the  scout, 
and  went  back  to  the  rest  of  the  party.  Their  inten 
tion  was  to  separate  the  band  into  two  equal  parties, 
and  each  taking  an  opposite  direction,  to  place  men  at 
regular  intervals  around  the  prairie.  They  would  keep 
in  the  chaparral  while  on  the  march,  and  only  discover 
themselves  when  the  signal  was  given.  In  this  way, 
if  the  buffaloes  did  not  take  the  alarm,  we  should  be 
almost  certain  of  securing  the  entire  herd. 

As  soon  as  Hissodecha  left  me,  I  selected  my  hunt 
ing  arrows,  which,  unlike  those  used  for  war,  arc  not 
poisoned.  Then  I  brought  up  my  horse,  and  having 
nothing  else  to  do,  I  remained  seated  upon  his  back 
watching  the  animals  as  they  fed  on,  unaware  of  their 
danger. 

The  screaming  of  birds  who  flew  up  from  the  thicket 
showed  that  the  hunters  were  proceeding  to  their 
stands.  Now  and  then  an  old  bull,  standing  like  a 
sentinel  on  the  outskirts  of  the  herd,  would  snuff  the 
wind  and  strike  the  ground  violently  with  his  hoof  as 
though  suspecting  that  something  was  wrong ;  but  the 
others  did  not  seem  to  mind  him  and  kept  on  cropping 
the  luxuriant  grass.  Suddenly  an  object  made  its 
appearance,  emerging  from  the  incite  in  the  center  of 
the  prairie.  It  looked  like  a  buffalo  calf  proceeding 
to  join  the  others.  As  usual,  a  pack  of  coyotes  were 
sneaking  around  the  herd,  and  these,  on  perceiving  the 
calf,  made  an  instant  attack  upon  it.  To  my  surprise, 
it  seemed  to  fight  its  way  through  them,  and  soon 


227 

joined  the  herd  and  was  .ost  to  view  among  them.  I 
thought  no  more  of  it,  and  was  wondering  'haw  much 
longer  I  would  have  to  wait  for  the  signal,  when  I 
noticed  that  the  buffaloes  were  lying  down  one  after 
another. 

In  a  few  minutes  eight  or  ten  were  stretched  upon 
the  turf,  and  I  observed  that  they  fell  suddenly  as  if 
shot,  and  some  of  them  appeared  to  kick  and  struggle 
violently.  I  had  heard  of  a  curious  habit  of  these 
animals  known  as  "  wallowing,"  and  concluded  this 
must  be  it.  As  I  had  never  witnessed  this  manoeuvre, 
I  watched  them  as  attentively  as  possible,  but  the  high 
grass  prevented  me  from  seeing  much.  At  all  events, 
I  thought,  the  "  surround  "  will  be  complete  before 
they  get  ready  to  move,  and  I  waited  patiently  for 
the  signal. 

The  buffaloes  still  continued  to  lie  down  one  after 
another,  and  at  length  the  last  one  of  the  herd  stretched 
himself  upon  the  prairie.  At  this  instant  the  shrill 
notes  of  the  Indian  whistle  reached  my  ears,  and  a 
wild  yell  arose  from  all  sides  of  the  prairie.  I  urged 
my  horse  forward;  a  hundred  others  had  done  the 
same,  all  yelling  at  the  top  of  their  voices  as  they  shot 
out  of  the  thicket.  Filled  with  the  wild  excitement 
incident  to  such  a  scene,  I  galloped  forward  with  my 
bow  strung  and  arrows  ready,  intent  upon  having  the 
first  shot.  To. my  surprise  the  buffaloes  did  not  stir. 
The  Indians  closed  in,  yelling  as  they  came,  and  wo 
pulled  up  our  horses  in  the  very  midst  of  the  prostrate 


228 

herd.  I  sat  upon  my  horse  as  if  spell-bound,  looking 
about  me  in  consternation  and  wonder.  Before  me 
lay  the  bodies  of  the  buffaloes,  and  I  seized  with  a 
superstitious  awe  when  I  perceived  that  every  one  of 
them  was  dead  or  dying.  Blood  flowed  from  their 
mouths  and  nostrils,  and  from  wounds  in  the  side  of 
each  the  red  stream  trickled  down.  The  prairie  car 
pet  was  dyed  with  it. 

My  companions  seemed  at  first  as  much  surprised  as 
myself,  but  some  of  the  more  astute  quickly  divined 
the  mystery  and  commenced  looking  about  with  keen 
scrutiny.  Suddenly  the  renegade  urged  his  horse  for 
ward,  and  on  turning  to  see  what  he  had  discovered, 
I  saw  the  buffalo  calf,  whose  existence  I  had  for  a 
time  forgotten.  The  calf  had  been  concealed  behind 
the  carcass  of  one  of  the  buffaloes,  but  now  appeared 
to  be  endeavoring  to  make  off  into  the  timber. 

Ilissodecha  rode  up  to  it,  evidently  intending  to 
pierce  it  with  his  lance,  when  the  animal  suddenly 
reared  up,  uttering  a  wild  human  scream.  The  shaggy 
hide  was  thrown  aside,  and  a  naked  savage  appeared, 
holding  up  his  arms  as  if  pleading  for  mercy.  His 
appeal  was  a  vain  one,  however,  for  the  ruthless  rene 
gade  pinned  him  to  the  earth  with  a  thrust  of  his 
lance,  and,  springing  from  his  horse,  finished  him  with 
his  tomahawk.  He  then  scalped  him,  and,  remount 
ing  his  horse,  directed  some  of  the  warriors  to  scour 
the  prairie,  as  they  might  find  another  "calf "  con 
cealed  in  the  long  grass.  With  the  rest  of  the  party 


229 

ho  rode  up  to  the  motte,  and  they  quickly  formed  in 
a  circle,  around  it.  Familiar  as  I  had  become  with 
Indian  cmeltv,  i  felt  a  sensation  of  horror  and  disgust 
at  this  cool  shedding  of  blood,  and  I  halted  irreso 
lutely  by  the  body  of  the  dead  Indian.  lie  lay 
stretched  upon  his  back,  naked  to  the  breech  clout, 
the  red  stream  flowing  from  the  lance  wound  in  his 
side.  His  limbs  quivered,  but  it  was  in  the  last  spasm 
of  departing  life. 

The  hide  in  which  he  had  been  disguised  lay  near 
him,  where  he  had  flung  it  at  the  moment  he  was  dis 
covered.  Beside  him  were  a  bow  and  several  arrows. 
The  latter  were  covered  with  blood,  the  feathers 
steeped  in  it  and  clinging  to  the  shafts.  They  had 
pierced  the  bodies  of  the  buffaloes,  passing  entirely 
through.  Each  arrow  had  taken  many  lives. 

I  was  still  contemplating  the  dead  man,  when  a  yell 
from  the  motte  attracted  my  attention,  and  I  rode 
thither.  I  reached  the  spot  just  in  time  to  see  the 
body  of  another  Indian  dragged  out  from  the  thick 
undergrowth,  and  his  fortunate  slayer,  who  happened 
to  be  one  of  the  younger  braves,  took  the  scalp  with 
great  complacency,  as  it  was  his  first  trophy  of  the 
kind.  The  Indians  evidently  believed  that  another  of 
the  Coyoteros  or  Wolf  Apaches,  for  to  this  tribe  tho 
two  dead  savages  were  declared  to  belong,  was  con 
cealed  in  the  thicket,  for  they  were  formed  in  a  sort 
of  irregular  circle  around  the  copse,  peering  into  it 
from  every  direction.  Hissodccha  now  ordered  the 


230 

warriors  to  close  in  from  every  direction  and  search 
the  thicket.  In  this  manoeuvre  I  found  myself  com 
pelled  to  take  part,  as  otherwise  I  would  have  incurred 
the  stigma  of  cowardice.  We  dismounted  from  our 
horses  and  pressed  into  the  thicket  from  all  sides. 
For  a  few  seconds  nothing  could  be  heard  but  the 
cracking  of  the  undergrowth  as  we  forced  our  way 
through  it.  Suddenly  a  yell  arose  from  the  sido 
opposite  to  my  position,  and  almost  instantly  a  third 
Coyotero  sprang  from  a  dense  clump  of  willows  near 
the  spring,  and  made  for  the,  opening.  It  chanced 
that  I  was  directly  in  his  path,  and  he  was  rushing 
upon  me  with  upraised  knife.  Strong  as  might  be 
my  repugnance  to  taking  human  life,  the  instinct  of 
self-preservation  was  still  stronger,  and  before  he 
could  reach  me  I  had  pierced  him  with  an  arrow,  and 
he  fell  dead  almost  at  my  feet.  In  an  instant  the 
warriors  had  gathered  around  me,  and  I  was  being 
congratulated  upon  my  bravery  and  skill.  Not  feel 
ing  particularly  proud  of  the  achievement,  I  was 
about  to  remount  my  horse,  when  Hissodecha  re 
minded  me  that  I  had  neglected  to  scalp  the  fallen 
foe ;  so  I  was  compelled  to  perform  that  operation, 
which  I  did  rather  clumsily.  A  thorough  search 
through  the  thicket  and  over  the  prairie  having  satis 
fied  ,my  savage  companions  that  no  more  of  the  Coyo- 
teros  had  been  present,  we  returned  to  the  dead  buffa 
loes  and  began  skinning  and  cutting  them  up. 

Stonhawon  soon  arrived  with  the  remainder  of  the 


231 

band,  and  as  it  was  nearly  sundown,  we  encamped 
upon  the  spot ;  the  spring  furnishing  water,  and  the 
grass  of  the  prairie  an  abundance  of  rich  food  for  the 
horses.  As  for  ourselves,  we  feasted  in  true  savage 
fashion,  finding  the  fresh  steaks,  tongues,  and  hump 
ribs  a  decided  improvement  upon  the  tasajo  whicli 
had  previously  been  our  diet. 

I  was  compelled  to  listen  to  many  encomiums  upon 
my  courage  and  dexterity,  and  some  of  the  young 
braves  ventured  the  opinion  that  Tahteckadahair 
would  soon  be  as  great  a  warrior  as  Hissodecha. 

Painfully  impressed  by  the  scene  of  slaughter  in 
which  1  had  been  an  unwilling  participant,  I  held  my 
self  aloof  as  much  as  possible  from  the  merry  groups 
around  the  camp  fires,  and  at  an  early  hour  wrapped 
myself  in  my  blanket,  and  weaiied  by  the  fatigue  and 
excitement  of  the  past  two  days,  I  was  soon  buried  in 
a  heavy  and  dreamless  sleep,  which  continued  until 
the  dawn  of  another  morning  again  compelled  me  to 
come  forth ;  and  this  time  it  was  not  as  an  inexperienc 
ed  brave,  but  as  an  acknowledged  warrior ;  for  I  had 
slain  an  enemy  and  taken  my  first  scalp.  I  cannot  say, 
however,  that  my  increase  of  notoriety  was  a  source 
of  satisfaction  to  me,  but  quite  the  contrary. 

Somewhat  to  my  surprise  we  remained  by  the  motto 
spring  for  three  days.  This  was  necessary  in  order  to 
convert  the  buffalo  meat  into  tasajo,  as  we  had  not  a 
sufficient  supply  for  our  purpose. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day,  the  meat  being 


232 

sufficiently  "  cured,"  we  "  struck  camp  "  and  rode  off 
to  the  north  until  we  had  reached  the  chain  of  moun 
tains  which  crossed  our  path.  Here  we  turned  to  tho 
eastward,  and  journeyed  along  their  base  intending  to 
cross  at  a  well  known  pass  about  twenty  miles  above. 
Reaching  it  at  nightfall  we  again  encamped,  design 
ing  to  pass  the  mountain  range  the  next  morning. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  FEAST  OF  THE  GREEN  COEN. 

IIE  fields,  or  more  properly  speaking,  the  patches 
of  corn  were  quickly  ripening,  thanks  to  the 
arduous  efforts  of  Wakidahme  and  his  wonder 
ful  arrow,  and  the  wholf  tribe  was  waiting  im 
patiently  the  time  when  the  signal  should  announce 
that  the  feast  of  the  green  corn  was  about  to  com 
mence.  Next  to  fighting,  your  Indian  likes  eating ; 
about  one  half  of  his  time  is  employed  in  catering  to 
the  cravings  of  his  stomach.  "When  not  engaged  in 
fighting  his  enemies,  or  marauding  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Mexican  border-towns,  he  occupies  his  energies  in 
the  hunt  or  chase.  At  the  time  of  my  enforced  resi 
dence  among  the  Apaches,  they  were  not  restricted  and 
confined  to  reservations  as  at  present.  They  consid 
ered  themselves  masters  of  the  country  which  they  in 
habited,  and  were  free  to  roam  in  any  direction  their 
fancy  might  dictate.  When  in  search  of  game,  they 
would  scour  the  plains  to  the  northward,  and  on  some 
occasions  would  penetrate  deep  into  the  country  of 
their  enemies,  the  Crows  and  Blackfeet,  Numerous 
encounters  would  result  from  this  intrusion  on  the 


234 

rights  of  others.     At  times  they  would  meet  and  ro- 
pulse  their  opponents,  and  continue  the  hunt,  return 
laden  with  the  fruits  of  the  chase,  and  girdles  plenti 
fully  garnished  with  their  victirn'/s  scalps. 

At  such  times,  their  return  home  partook  of  the 
character  of  an  ovation ;  fires  would  be  lighted,  food 
prepared  in  abundance,  and  high  revelry  be  the  order 
of  the  day.  Gathered  around  the  council  nres,  with 
an  eager  and  attentive  multitude  of  old  men,  women 
and  children,  constituting  themselves  an  audience, 
the  braves  would  indulge  in  the  most  fantastic  and 
highly  colored  narratives  of  tho£r  deeds  of  valor  and 
heroic  bearing  in  the  presence  of  an  enemy.  Seated 
m  a  circle  around  the  blazing  fire,  and  smoking  their 
clay  pipes,  each  one  in  turn  would  relate  the  inci 
dents  of  his  particular  case,  reciting  the  most  improb 
able  deeds  of  valor,  and  ending  up,  usually,  with  the 
oft-told  tale,  of  how  he  gained  his  sobriquet. 

His  listeners  had  doubtless  heard  the  same  story  on 
many  similar  occasions,  but  repetition  has  no  horror 
for  an  Indian,  and  judging  from  the  flattering  silence 
with  which  his  speech  is  received,  and  the  many  com 
plimentary  expressions  with  which  he  is  greeted  at  its 
close,  one  would  at  once  conlcude  that  the  remarks 
were  new  and  original.  Boasting  is  an  Indian's  weak 
point ;  given  a  listener,  and  the  amount  of  bombast 
and  mock  heroics  which  he  will  inflict  on  one,  sim 
ply  staggers  belief. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  the  hunting  party  has  not  been 


235 

successful,  but  defeat  and  misfortune  has  been  their 
portion,  then  the  scene  is  changed.  In  place  of  feast 
ing  and  revelry,  they  are  greeted  with  a  death-like 
silence,  and,  as  the  remnant  of  the  party  defile  through 
the  village,  they  are  objects  of  the  closest  scrutiny  by 
anxious  mothers  and  wives.  If  the  keen  eyes  of  love, 
search  in  vain  for  the  form  of  him,  who  a  few  weeks  be 
fore  left  the  village  in  the  glory  and  vigor  of  manhood, 
a  heart-rending  wail  goes  up,  which  is  instantly  echoed 
by  the  assembled  women,  until  the  wrelkin  resounds 
with  mournful  cries.  As  on  more  joyful  occaions,  a 
rush  is  made  in  the  direction  of  the  council  lodge,  and  it 
then  becomes  the  painful  duty  of  the  survivors  to  re- 
*ate  their  mishaps,  and  bow  such  and  such  an  one  met 
the  enemy  with  his  accustomed  bravery,  and  fore 
most  fighting,  fell. 

In  these  recitals,  the  party  in  question  always  meet  a 
foe  who  vastly  outnumbers  them,  and  according  to  their 
account,  their  opponents  always  suffer  terribly  in  slain, 
and  would  have  eventually  been  overcome,  and  com 
pletely  routed,  had  not  some  trifling  accident — which 
could  not  be  forseen — occurred  to  mar  the  effects  of 
their  stunning  prowess. 

I  have  never  seen  an  Indian  fight,  and  am  not  able 
to  judge  of  their  actions  on  the  field  of  battle,  but,  if 
observations  of  the  red  man  in  his  home,  is  any  cri 
terion,  I  should  venture  the  opinion  that  an  Apache 
would  fight  valiantly  under  one  condition,  namely  : 
when  his  party  were  numerically  stronger  than  the  op- 


236 

posing  force.  I  think  they  have  a  just  appreciation  of 
the  Falstaffian  method  of  conducting  warfare,  and  aro 
firmly  convinced  that  "  he  who  fights  and  runs  away," 
lias  better  opportunities  for  glory,  rapacity  and  booty, 
another*,  day. 

As  these  pages  are  being  written,  the  country  is 
again  startled  by  the  news  of  fresh  Indian  outrages, 
this  time,  against  the  constituted  authority  of  the  coun 
try,  and  close  on  the  heels  of  the  news  of  the  reopen 
ing  of  Indian  hostilities,  comes  the  thrilling  intelli 
gence  that  a  General  has  been  shot  in  cold  blood,  and 
wrhilst  under  the  protecting  a^Vl  sacred  influence  of  a 
flag  of  truce.  Such  dastardly  and  treacherous  con 
duct,  thrills  one  with  a  righteous  indignation,  and  we 
are  more  than  ever  impressed  with  the  belief  that 
measures,  the  most  rigorous,  should  be  instituted,  and 
that  the  goverment  should  put  to  one  side  any  feelings 
of  mawkish  sentimentality,  and  mete  out  to  these  red- 
handed  savages  the  retribution  their  deserts  merit 

The  case  under  consideration  is  only  one  among 
many.  How,  many  immigrant  trains  dragging  their 
slow  length  over  the  trackless  and  boundless  prairies, 
have  met  a  similar  fate  ;  and  their  misfortune  never 
so  much  as  heard  of.  Whole  villages  on  the 
borders  have  been  attacked,  captured  and  pillaged  ; 
their  inhabitants  murdered  in  cold  blood,  or  carried 
off  into  a  captivity  that  was  worse  even  than  the  knifo 
of  the  savage.  Who  can  count  the  lonely  victims  who 
have  been  waylaid  on  their  toilsome  journey,  by  a 


237 

party  of  howling  savages,  and  being  surrounded,  bo- 
fore  they  were  aware  almost  of  the  presence  of  an 
enemy,  set  upon  and  brained  in  the  most  cruel  man 
ner,  and  their  bodies  left  weltering  in  their  own  gore, 
a  repast  for  wolves  and  coyotes — horrible  reflection  ; 
to  think  of  the  numbers  who  have  suffered  this  fate, 
and  died  unknelled,  uncoffined,  and  unknown  ;  wliile 
their  murderers  were  these  same  gentle  red  children, 
of  whose  interests  the  government  has  exercised  such 
a  watchful  care,  guarding  them  against  the  rigors  of 
winter  by  a  plentiful  supply  of  food  and  blankets,  and 
during  the  spring  furnishing  them  wifli  powder  and 
the  most  improved  fire-arms,  that  they  might  thereby 
be  enabled  to  steal  forth  from  their  reservation,  prey 
on  helpless  travelers,  and  returning  covered  with  the 
blood  of  their  white  brothers;  praise  their  Great 
Father  at  Washington,  and  thank  him,  through  their 
agent,  for  the  many  inestimable  gifts  he  has  placed  in 
their  hands,  by  whose  judicious  use  they  have  gratified 
their  dominant  passions,  and  turned  many  a  happy 
home  into  a  chamber  of  mourning. 

Out  upon  such  a  policy !  War,  to  the  bitter  end,  is 
the  only  "policy"  that  should  be  for  a  moment  enter 
tained,  in  dealing  with  these  fiends ;  and  when  they 
are  at  last  exterminated  off  the  face  of  the  earth,  it 
may,  perhaps,  be  safe  for  a  man  to  undertake  to  travel 
through  his  own  land.  My  readers  may  think  I  speak 
with  undue  heat  on  this  subject,  but  the  memory  of 
my  sufferings  and  trials,  during  the  time  that  I  re- 


238 

maincd  among  the  Apaches,  make  it  almost  impera 
tive  that  I  should  speak  freely  and  without  reserve. 

Those  who  are  at  home,  and  surrounded  by  the 
protecting  influence  of  a  father's  or  husband's  care, 
cannot  fully  appreciate  the  perils  and  degradation  con 
sequent  upon  a  life  of  bondage,  and  I  sincerely  trust 
that  it  may  never  be  their  misfortune  to  undergo 
similar  experiences. 

I  must  apologize  for  this  lengthy  digression,  and 
will  hereafter  endeavor  to  keep  mo?e  closely  to  the 
thread  of  my  narrative. 

As  before  staged,  the  Indians  always  made  the  most 
extensive  preparations  for  the  feast  of  the  green,  corn ; 
and  it  was  looked  forward  to  with  the  most  eager 
anticipations. 

Several  weeks  before  the  corn  had  fairly  ripened, 
the  head  chief  and  medicine  men  met  in  conclave,  and 
decided  on  what  measures  were  to  be  pursued  during 
the  festivities.  In  most  instances,  a  few  of  the  older 
women  of  the  tribe  were  selected,  and  appointed  to 
watch  the  patches  of  com  attentively.  Every  morn 
ing  they  were  required  to  pick  a  few  ears  of  corn,  and 
without  dividing  the  husk,  bring  it  to  the  medicine 
chief,  Eeh-tohk-pah-shee-pee-shah  (the  black  moccasin), 
who  would  examine  it,  and  if  it  was  not  deemed  suffi 
ciently  ripe,  they  would  be  dismissed  with  an  injunc 
tion  to  appear  again  on  the  following  morning,  with 
another  handful  of  freshly  gathered  com.  This  per 
formance  was  continued  until  the  samples  examined 


239 

were  considered  to  Lave  arrived  at  a  stage  of  sufficient 
ripeness,  when  the  fact  was  announced  by  criero,  who 
went  through  the  village  proclaiming  the  joyful  intel 
ligence. 

For  several  days  previous  to  the  announcement  of 
this  gratifying  news,  the  Indians,  had  subjected  them 
selves  to  a  thorough  purgation,  using  for  this  purpose  a 
decoction  of  various  bitter  roots  and  herbs,  which  they 
termed  asceola  (the  black  drink).  This  course  of 
treatment  enabled  them  to  attack  the  corn  with 
ravenous  appetites,  and  to  gorge  themselves  until 
they  could  scarcely  move. 

On  the  appointed  day  the  tribe  are  all  assembled, 
and  in  the  center  of  the  lodge  a  kettle  is  hung  over  a 
tire,  and  tilled  with  the  coveted  grain.  This  is  well 
boiled,  and  offered  to  the  Great  Spirit  as  a  sacrifice. 
This  is  an  imperative  ceremony,  and  must  be  per 
formed  before  any  one  can  indulge  the  cravings  of  his 
appetite.  During  the  time  that  the  cauldron  is  boil 
ing,  four  chiefs  and  mystery  men  dance  around  the 
steaming  kettle.  They  are  painted  with  white  clay, 
and  in  one  hand  they  hold  a  stalk  of  the  corn,  while 
with  the  other  they  grasp  the  rattle.  As  they  move 
around  the  fire,  they  chant  a  wierd  song  of  thanks 
giving,  taking  particular  pains  to  remind  the  Great 
Spirit  that  they  are  doing  all  this  in  his  honor,  and 
restraining  their  appetites  that  he  may  be  pleased, 
and  propitiated,  to  the  extent  of  furnishing  them  with 
a  bountiful  supply  during  the  ensuing  season. 


240 

Whilst  the  medicine  men  are  performing  in  this 
manner,  a  number  of  others  form  in  a  circle,  outside 
of  the  inner  one,  and  with  stalks  of  corn  in  each  hand, 
go  through  a  somewhat  similar  ceremony.  Wooden 
bowls  are  placed  on  the  ground  immediately  under  a 
tripod,  formed  by  joining  together  three  poles,  of 
about  twelve  feet  in  length,  which  are  also  ornamented 
with  ears  of  corn.  In  each  of  the  bowls  is  placed  a 
spoon,  made  of  the  horn  of  the  buffalo,  or  mountain 
sheep,  in  which  the  feast  is  to  be  served.  The  dance 
is  continued  until  the  chief  s  decide  the  corn  is  sufficient 
ly  boiled  ;  when,  at  a  given  signal,  the  dance  is  stopped 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  again  resumed,  this  time  to  a 
different  tune.  Then  the  master  of  ceremonies  re 
moves  the  smoking  vegetable  and  places  it  upon 
a  small  scaffold  of  sticks,  which  they  erect  over 
the  fire. 

Ilaving  done  this,  the  first  lire  is  removed,  and  the 
ashes  are  gathered  and  buried.  A  new  fire  is  then 
made  in  the  place  occupied  by  the  old  one.  The  new 
one  is  started  by  a  very  painful  process. 

Three  men  seat  themselves  on  the  ground,  facing 
each  other,  and  procuring  a  hard  block  of  wood,  com 
mence  drilling  violently  with  a  stick,  by  rolling  it 
between  the  palms  of  the  hand.  Each  one  catches  it 
in  turn  from  the  other,  without  allowing  the  motion 
to  stop,  until  smoke,  and  at  last,  a  spark  of  fire  is 
seen,  and  caught  in  a  piece  of  punk,  whereat  there  is 
great  rejoicing  among  the  bystanders.  When  this  fire 


241 

is  kindled,  the  kettle  is  again  placed  over  the  fire,  and 
refilled  with  the  vegetable. 

Now  the  feast  begins,  an  onslaught  is  made  on  the 
contents  of  the  pot,  and  the  Indians  rush  off  in  all 
directions  to  devour  the  corn.  Soon  fires  are  blazing  X 
in  every  lodge,  and  all  are  indulging  in  the  grossest 
gluttony.  This  feast  lasts  until  the  corn  is  exhausted, 
or  becomes  too  hard  to  eat  with  any  degree  of  comfort. 
"When  an  Indian  has  gorged  himself  to  the  fullest 
capacity,  he  has  recourse  to  his  asceola,  and  is  soon 
in  a  condition  to  recommence  with  as  much  vigor  as  at 
first. 

These  scenes  filled  me  with  disgust,  and  I  often 
thought  how  happy  those  brutes  would  be  if  they  were 
only  endowed  with  the  wonderful  attributes  of  that 
little  sea  monster,  the  polyp,  who,  when  his  body  is 
cut  in  half,  suffers  no  inconvenience,  but  gormandizes 
as  much  as  ever,  with  this  advantage,  that  the  food, 
instead  of  remaining  in  his  stomach,  passes  out  at  the 
other  end ;  thus  allowing  him  to  indulge  in  the 
pleasure  of  gluttony,  without  the  inconvenience  of 
being  gorged. 

16 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

DANGER    AHEAD. 

•E  started  again  at  early  dawn,  and  commenced 
the  passage  of  the  defile  through  the  mountain. 
The  pass  was  tortuous  and  rugged,  but  as  we 
rode  in  single  file  we  experienced  but  little  diffi 
culty,  and  after  about  three  hours  of  alternate  ascents 
and  descents,  we  gained  its  outlet  and  debouched  upon 
the  plain  beyond.  Is  was  a  timber  prairie,  studded 
with  mottes  of  tall  cottonwoods,  and  bisected  near  its 
center  by  a  small  stream.  A  heavy  belt  of  timber 
fringed  the  northern  horizon,  and  towards  this  we  di 
rected  our  course. 

As  we  were  now  liable  to  come  in  contact  with  hos 
tile  parties  of  other  tribes,  Stonhawon  exercised  great 
caution.  Nearly  a  hundred  runners  or  spies  were 
sent  in  advance,  while  the  main  body  advanced  slowly  ; 
the  chief  receiving  frequent  reports  from  the  scouts. 

About  ten  o'clock  we  halted  on  the  banks  of  the 
arroyOj  and  while  watering  our  animals,  one  of  the 
scouts  returned  and  made  some  communication  to  our 
leader.  In  a  few  moments  it  became  known  to  the 
entire  band  that  a  large  war  party  of  Arrapahoes  had 


243 

been  discovered  ahead.  Beyond  the  belt  of  timber 
-woe  a  large  grass  prairie,  a  favorite  haunt  of  the  buf- 
fcuu,  and  upon  this  the  Arrapahoes  had  halted  to  hunt, 
and  after  getting  a  good  supply  of  meat,  were  en 
gaged  in  converting  it  into  tasajo,  preparatory  to  an 
extended  raid  upon  the  tribes  to  the  southward. 

It  is  probable  that  we,  ourselves,  were  intended  to 
receive  their  polite  attentions,  but  if  this  had  been 
their  object  it  was  frustrated  by  the  fact  that  we  were 
out  upon  the  same  errand  as  regarded  themselves. 

At  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  prairie,  a  mountain 
rose  from  the  plain ;  it  was  an  isolated  peak  of  small 
altitude,  its  height  being  but  a  few  hundred  feet,  and 
in  shape  almost  a  perfect  "  sugar  loaf."  The  belt  of 
timber  which  formed  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
prairie,  extended  to  the  mountain,  and  fringed  its 
base.  Near  the  foot  of  the  mountain  the  Arrapahoes 
were  in  bivouac,  their  horses  grazing  upon  the  plain. 
Long  rows  of  stakes  and  lines  were  erected,  and  upon 
these  the  buffalo  meat  was  hung  in  strips,  and  was 
fast  blackening  in  the  hot  sun.  Evidently  a  few  more 
hours  would  complete  the  process  of  its  conversion 
into  tasajo.  A  number  of  fires  were  kindled  near  the 
base  of  the  mountain,  and  around  these  were  grouped 
the  Arrapahoe  warriors,  engaged  in  the  usual  Indian 
pastime  of  eating.  A  more  favorable  opportunity 
for  attack  could  not  be  wished,  provided  we  could 
approach  near  enough  to  take  them  by  surprise ;  but 
to  effect  that,  promised  to  be  difficult,  as  we  would 


244 

certainly  be  seen  the  instant  we  passed  the  timber ; 
and  in  that  case,  surprise  would,  of  course,  be  out  of 
the  question. 

Our  leaders,  Stonhawon  and  Hissodecha,  stood 
apart,  apparently  holding  a  sort  of  "  council  of  war." 
Their  conference,  howe.ver,  was  quickly  ended ;  the 
renegade  made  some  proposition  to  which  Stonawon 
seemed  to  assent,  for  he  signed  us  to  mount,  and  we 
instantly  resumed  our  march.  In  a  few  minutes  I 
was  able  to  fathom  their  design  from  the  course 
taken.  Skirting  the  belt  of  timber,  and  screened 
by  it  from  the  views  of  the  Arrapahoes,  we  directed 
our  course  towards  the  lone  peak.  The  timber  belt 
was  perhaps  two  hundred  yards  in  width,  and  filled 
with  a  dense  undergrowth.  In  its  shadow  the  spies 
crept  along  its  northern  margin,  moving  parallel 
to  our  course,  and  keeping  a  close  watch  upon  the 
enemy.  The  renegade's  plan  seemed  to  be  to  ap 
proach  them  as  closely  ae  possible  under  cover  of  the 
forest,  and  then  make  a  sudden  dash,  taking  them  by 
surprise,  and  effecting  their  utter  rout.  As  events 
showed,  I  had  judged  correctly  of  the  intentions  of 
our  leaders,  or  at  least  partially  so ;  but  there  was 
one  detail  of  the  plan,  which  I  had  riot  thought  of, 
which  was  presently  put  in  execution.  After  riding 
slowly  for  about  two  hours  we  reached  the  point, 
trended  off  to  the  north,  and  encircled  the  mountain. 
Here  Stonhawon  halted  the  main  body,  but  the  band 
of  Kissodecha,  which  numbered  about  sixty  warriors, 


245  ' 

was  reinforced  by  about  the  same  number  detailed 
from  the  chiefs  party  and  sent  round  the  mountain 
to  attack  the  enemy  in  the  rear.  I  was  about  running 
off  with  this  party,  when  Stonhawon  beckoned  to  me, 
and  on  my  riding  up  to  him,  directed  me  to  remain 
with  him.  I  was  quite  surprised  at  this,  and  looked 
towards  Hissodecha,  expecting  that  he  would  urge 
that  I  be  permitted  to  accompany  him ;  but  to  my 
still  greater  surprise,  he  did  not  seem  to  notice  me  at 
all,  and  with  his  band  soon  disappeared  behind  a  spur 
of  the  mountain.  I  had  little  opportunity,  however, 
to  reflect  upon  this  circumstance,  for  our  party  was 
quickly  put  in  motion,  and  passing  through  the  wood, 
were  soon  ranged  along  its  outer  margin,  sheltered 
from  view  by  the  thicket,  and  awaiting  the  signal  to 
charge  upon  the  foe. 

We  were  barely  two  hundred  yards  from  their  posi 
tion,  and  could  plainly  distinguish  the  varied  hues 
and  designs  of  the  war  paint  upon  their  persons. 
Their  number  was  about  equal  to  our  own,  and  with 
the  advantage  of  a  surprise,  it  seemed  probable  that 
we  might  utterly  destroy  them. 

Like  hounds  held  in  the  leash,  we  awaited  the  sig 
nal — at  last  it  came — the  shrill  notes  of  the  war 
whistle,  pierced  the  air,  and  it  was  instantly  followed 
by  the  wild  intonation  of  the  Camanche  war  whoop, 
as  we  burst  forth  from  the  timber  "and  charged  with 
headlong  fury  upon  the  foe.  For  a  moment  I  thought 
that  the  surprise  would  be  complete,  for  our  sudden 


246 

appearance  seemed  likely  to  completely  demoralize 
the  enemy. 

But  the  Arrapahoes,  although  greatly  surprised  and 
alarmed  at  our  sudden  onslaught,  showed  no  signs  of 
panic,  indeed,  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  really  sur 
prise  an  Indian.  A  few  of  those  that  were  nearest  to 
us  were  ridden  down,  transfixed  with  lances,  or  brain 
ed  by  blows  from  our  war  clubs  and  battle  axes  ;  but 
the  larger  number,  hastily  plucking  up  their  lances 
and  seizing  their  other  weapons,  rushed  for  their 
horses,  and  before  we  could  rej»ch  them  were  mounted 
and  forming  to  receive  us.  Hiding  at  a  headlong 
pace,  a  few  seconds  brought  us  upon,  them,  and  we 
closed  at  full  speed.  A  confused  and  deadly  melee 
followed,  the  combat  being  mainly  hand  to  hand. 
Blows  and  lance  thrusts  were  exchanged,  arrows 
whistled  through  the  air,  ghastly  wounds  were  given 
and  received ;  the  air  resounded  with  the  groans  of 
wounded  and  dying  men,  and  the  wild  war  cries  of 
the  contending  warriors.  Exactly  what  I  did  I  hardly 
know,  so  great  was  the  excitement  and  confusion.  I 
know  that  I  gave  and  received  blows,  and  mechani 
cally  defended  myself  from  the  attacks  made  upon 
mo ;  but  the  incidents  of  that  brief  yet  terrible 
struggle  seem  like  a  dream  to  me  now. 

The  impetus  of  our  first  charge  had  carried  us  en 
tirely  through  the  enemies  line.  We  then  wheeled 
arid  charged  them  anew;  and  this  manoeuvre  was 
repeated  many  times. 


•• 

Our  adversaries  seemed  to  be  getting  decidedly  the 
worse  of  the  conflict,  and  we  coulcl  see  nnmistakable 
signs  of  an  inclination  on  their  part  to  take  refuge  in 
flight,  when  something  seemed  to  suddenly  change 
their  determination,  and  they  again  assaulted  us  with 
renewed  fury.  "We  were  not  long  in  discovering  the 
cause ;  during  the  fight  we  had  many  times  changed 
positions  with  our  adversaries,  and  we  were  now  facing 
towards  the  mountain.  Attracted  by  a  noise  in  our 
rear,  we  glanced  in  that  direction,  to  behold  a  sight 
that  filled  us  with  dismay. 

Approaching  us  at  full  speed  was  a  party  of  fully 
one  hundred  Arrapahoes,  evidently  a  detachment  from 
the  band  we  were  fighting.  Coming  from  the  north, 
they  had  got  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  us  before 
we  had  discovered  them,  the  tumult  and  confusion 
of  the  conflict  preventing  us  from  perceiving  them 
sooner. 

As  Hissodecha  and  his  party,  from  some  unaccount 
able  delay,  Lad  not  arrived  upon  the  ground,  our 
position  was  a  perilous  one.  In  a  moment,  the  new 
enemies  would  be  upon  us,  and  without  doubt  we 
would  be  overwhelmed.  Instant  action  on  our  part 
was  imperitive,  and  our  leader,  with  ready  perception 
of  that  fact,  gave  the  signal  to  close  in  together  and 
charge  upon  our 'immediate  opponents. 

"With  a  wild  yell  we  rushed  upon  them,  breaking 
through  their  line,  and  retreating  rapidly  towards  the 
base  of  the  mountain.  Here  a  number  of  large  rocks 


243 

had  fallen  upon  the  plain  from  the  cliffs  above,  and 
laid  in  such,  positions  as  to  form  a  sort  of  natural 
breastwork.  Indeed,  the  masses  of  rock,  from  their 
peculiar  formation  and  grouping,  had  a  striking  re 
semblance  to  the  ruins  of  some  vast  building. 

Behind  these  rocky  bulwarks,  we  sheltered  our 
selves,  and  prepared  to  receive  the  attack  whicli  wo 
felt  sure  the  Arrapahoes,  strengthened  by  their  oppor 
tune  reinforcement,  would  certainly  make  upon  us. 
Indeed,  we  could  see  that  they  were  preparing  to  do 
BO,  and  I,  having  by  this  time  had  quite  enough  of 
lighting,  was  awaiting  the  assault  with  dread,  when  I 
was  suddenly  called  by  Stonhawon.  Hastening  to 
his  side,  as  he  sat  on  his  horse,  he  directed  me  to 
accompany  one  of  the  young  braves  who  was  stand 
ing  by  him,  and  had  apparently  received  his  instruc 
tions.  These  the  chief  repeated  for  my  benefit.  We 
were  to  ascend  the  mountain,  with  all  possible  speed, 
and  send  up  from  its  summit  a  "signal  smoke,"  to 
hasten  the  arrival  of  Uissodecha  and  bis  party,  still 
unaccountably  delayed. 

Leaving  our  horses  and  most  of  our  weapons  with 
the  party,  we  set  oif  at  once ;  the  wild  yells  of  the 
Arrapahoes,  as  they  advanced  to  the  attack,  ringing 
in  our  ears,  and  being  echoed  by  the  defiant  war-cry 
of  the  Camanches,  as  the  latter  prepared  to  receive 
the  onslaught. 


CHAPTER  XXVIL 

THE   ESCAPE. 

f  UKNTNG  in  the  direction  of  the  monntain,  we 
put  our  horses  into  a  hard  run,  and  in  a  few 
moments  were  tearing  our  way  through  the 
inezquite  bushes  that  fringed  its  base.  The 
undergrowth  became  denser  as  we  advanced,  and  it 
was  found  advisable  to  abandon  the  ponies  and  forge 
ahead  on  foot.  The  safety  of  our  party  depended  in 
a  great  measure  on  the  celerity  of  our  movements. 
Hastily  dismounting,  and  tying  the  cattle  to  some 
sturdy  sage  bushes,  we  continued  our  ascent,  and  it 
was  not  many  minutes  before  we  had  reached  a  por 
tion  of  the  mountain  that  shelved  out  over  the  ravine, 
thus  forming  an  admirable  position  for  the  signal 
operations.  My  companion  briefly  explained  the 
method  of  smoke  signals,  which  were  made  by  gather 
ing  a  quantity  of  very  dry  underbrush  for  the  fire,  and 
green  twigs,  boughs  of  pine,  balsam,  and  hemlock, 
being  placed  upon  the  blazing  wood,  covers  tho 
flame  and  throws  off  a  dense  smoke  that  may  be  seen 
at  great  distances.  After  ascertaining  his  views,  and 


250 

receiving  my  instructions,  1  plunged  into  the  wood 
arid  busied  myself  collecting  materials  for  our  tele 
graph  operations.  It  was  not  long  before  we  had  a 
Biiiiicient  quantity  of  material  gathered,  and  placing 
the  dry  wood  in  such  a  manner  that  it  might  be 
easily  ignited,  my  companion  produced  his  tinder 
apparatus,  and  was  soon  at  work  drilling  the  block  of 
hard  wood,  and  frantically  endeavoring  to  coax  a 
epark  that  might  set  the  pile  in  a  blaze. 

As  few,  if  any,  of  my  readers  understand  the 
method  by  which  Indians  light  their  fires,  I  will 
hastily  describe  it.  The  Indian  is  unfamiliar  with 
the  use  of  matches ;  even  the  more  primitive  flint  and 
steel  is  a  sealed  book  to  him ;  hence  he  resorts  to  a 
very  simple  but  laborious  contrivance.  Each  Indian 
supplies  himself  with  two  dried  stalks  of  the  Mexican 
soap  plant,  about  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 
Cne  is  made  flat  on  one  side ;  Dear  the  edge  of  the 
flat  surface  a  small  indentation  is  made  to  receive  the 
point  of  the  other  stick,  and  a  groove  cut  from  this 
down  the  side.  The  other  stick  is  made  with  a  rounded 
end,  and  placed  upright  upon  the  first.  Placing  the 
stick  with  a  flat  surface  between  the  feet,  the  point  of 
the  other  is  placed  in  the  hole  made  to  receive  it,  and 
turning  it  between  the.  palms  with  a  backward  and 
forward  motion,  and  pressing  the  point  forcibly  into 
the  lower  stick,  a  fine  powder  is  made,  which  runs 
through  the  groove  and  falls  on  the  ground.  By  con- 
Btant  and  rapid  motion  the  wood  begins  to  smoke, 


251 

and  at  length  the  fine  particles  take  fire ;  the  spark  ia 
eoon  nursed  into  a  flaine,  and  the  brushwood  ignited. 
In  this  manner  our  lire  was  lighted,  and  heaping  up 
the  pine  and  hemlock  boughs,  the  surrounding  atmos 
phere  was  one  dense  cloud  of  smoke.  Stealing  to  the 
very  edge  of  the  cliff,  I  peered  over  and  anxiously 
scanned  the  plain  below.  I  could  see  Stonhawon's 
band  lighting  desperately  with  their  foes,  who,  by 
their  superior  numbers,  were  overpowering  the  Ca- 
manches.  Immediately  behind  the  belt  of  timber, 
and  to  the  left  of  the  contending  factions,  was  the 
party  comprising  the  band  under  the  leadership  of 
Ilissodecha.  They  were  moving  cautiously  around 
the  timber,  and  had  not  as  yet  observed  the  signal. 
Once  more  the  signal  was  worked,  this  time  sending 
up  a  denser  cloud  than  before.  It  was  observed  by 
the  ambushed  party ;  they  drew  rein,  and  after  a  hasty 
consultation,  turned  and  retraced  their  steps.  The 
movement  was  not  executed  any  too  soon,  as  the  main 
party  were  retreating  before  the  successful  assault  of 
the  enemy,  and  endeavoring  to  gain  the  friendly  cover 
of  the  wood.  Ilissodecha  pressed  rapidly  forward, 
and  emerging  on  the  plain,  swooped  down  upon  the 
Hank  of  the  victorious  Arrapahoes.  This  sudden 
movement  entirely  changed  the  aspect  of  affaire.  The 
Arrapahoes  fell  back  precipitately  in  the  direction  of 
the  ravine,  hoping  by  this  means  to  gain  shelter,  and 
if  the  worst  came  to  the  worst,  disband  and  scatter 
ever  the  mountain. 


252 

It  was  a  thrilling  scene,  and  I  almost  wished  I  was 
one  among  them. 

Our  mission  was  accomplished,  and  my  companion 
intimated  that  we  should  descend  the  mountain  and 
join  the  war-party.  As  we  descended,  the  Camanche 
preceded  me,  pushing  his  way  through  the  bushes  with 
a  rapidity  only  acquired  by  long  practice. 

Suddenly  the  thought  flashed  across  my  mind  that 
now,  if  ever,  was  my  golden  opportunity.  What 
would  there  be  to  prevent  my  braining  the  Indian  in 
his  tracks  and  then  escape?  %*It  was  a  savage  and 
brutal  alternative,  to  be  sure;  but  it  was  my  only 
chance,  and  I  might  wait  years  in  vain  before  another 
opportunity  would  present  itself.  As  I  revolved  the 
scheme  in  my  mind,  my  hand  went  instinctively  to 
my  belt  and  grasped  the  tomahawk.  I  trembled  with 
excitement,  and  as  if  to  keep  pace  with  my  thoughts, 
my  steps  quickened,  and  a  few  strides  brought  me  close 
upon  my  victim.  My  quick  and  labored  breathing  must 
have  attracted  his  attention,  as,  suddenly  wheeling,  he 
confronted  me,  and  evidently  read  the  murderous 
intention  in  my  eye,  he  sprang  lightly  to  one  side, 
and  unsheathing  his  knife,  stood  as  if  expecting  an 
attack.  Simultaneously  with  this  action,  I  drew  my 
tomahawk  and  rushed  upon  him,  aiming  a  blow  at  his 
head.  He  adroitly  parried  it  with  his  &rm,  but  in  so 
doing  received  a  severe  wound  in  the  shoulder.  Dart 
ing  at  me,  he  clutched  my  arm,  and  twining  his  limbs 
about  my  person,  made  a  desperate  endeavor  to  bring 


253 

me  to  the  ground.  The  tomahawk  was  of  no  use 
now ;  I  allowed  it  to  fall  from  my  grasp,  and  with  the 
disengaged  hand  clutched  my  knife. 

My  antagonist's  superior  strength  began  to  tell.  I 
felt  powerless,  and  his  eyes  gleamed  with  fiendish 
triumph.  He  raised  the  shining  blade  preparatory  to 
sheathing  it  in  my  body,  when  I  suddenly  felt  the 
ground  giving  way  beneath  my  feet,  and  in  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  relate  it,  we  were  rolling  over  a  preci 
pice  with  a  sheer  fall  of  about  ten  feet.  The  savage 
clung  to  me  with  a  death-like  grip,  and  encircling  my 
neck  with  his  arm,  grasped  my  throat  with  his  teeth. 
Those  were  fearful  moments.  I  struggled  to  disen 
gage  my  hand  from  his  vice-like  grip.  The  blood 
gurgled  from  my  mouth,  my  tongue  protruded,  and  I 
was  gasping  for  breath  in  the  last  throes  of  strangula 
tion,  when  we  came  to  the  ground  with  a  terrific 
shock. 

The  savage  gave  one  yell  that  curdled  my  blood, 
and  instantly  relaxed  his  hold,  falling  limp  and  life 
less  by  my  side.  I  was  not  many  minutes  in  disen 
gaging  myself  from  my  antagonist,  and  in  doing  so  I 
was  made  aware  of  the  cause  of  the  sudden  turn  of 
events  that  had  saved  me  from  a  horrible  death.  It 
would  appear,  that  during  the  struggle  and  fall,  the 
hand  that  grasped  my  knife  was  encircled  around  the 
body  of  my  foe,  and  when  we  struck  the  ground,  my 
body  being  uppermost,  the  knife  had  been  driven  to 
the  hilt  into  his  back  by  the  force  of  the  concussion. 


254 

Everything  now  depended  on  the  celerity  of  my 
movements.  The  remainder  of  the  party  would  no 
doubt  wonder  at  our  long  absence,  and  despatch  run 
ners  to  seek  the  missing  "  signal "  makers.  It  would 
require  but  a  glance  at  the  prostrate  form  of  their 
comrade  to  enable  them  to  realize  the  true  state  of  af 
fairs,  and  to  make  instant  preparation  to  follow,  over 
take  the  fugitive,  and  mete  out  to  him  the  reward  of 
his  perfidy.  Hastily  possessing  myself  of  what  few 
arms  I  needed,  and  taking  the^bag  of  parched  corn 
that  was  suspended  from  the  girdle  of  the  fallen  sav 
age,  I  made  my  way  to  where  the  ponies  were  cached, 
and  springing  on  my  animal,  urged  him  forward  at 
the  top  of  his  speed,  leading  the  Indian's  pony  by  the 
lariat  attached  to  his  bridle. 

My  plan  was  to  strike  out  over  the  prairie  in  a 
southerly  direction,  and  by  traveling  without  cessation, 
endeavor  to  put  a  wide  gap  between  pursuer  and  pur 
sued,  and  thus  be  enabled  to  reach  in  safety  some  of 
the  Mexican  frontier  towns.  I  was  certain  that  this 
plan  was  feasible,  "from  the  conversation  I  had  heard 
from  time  to  time  among  the  warriors  of  our  band. 
Indeed,  it  was  proposed  by  Hissodecha,  to  raid  on 
some  one  of  tli&pueblas,  if  they  were  unsuccessful  in 
their  attack  on  the  Arrapahoes,  as  by  this  means  they 
would  avoid  the  ignominy  of  returning  to  the  lodges 
of  their  people,  without  being  able  to  display  the 
fruits  of  a  successful  foray;  such  as  scalps,  horses,  cap 
tives,  etc. 


--      255 

By  riding  my  pony  until  he  dropped  from  exhaus 
tion,  and  then  availing  myself  of  the  fresh  lead  horse, 
I  could  travel  an  immense  distance  without  drawing 

O 

rein.  It  was  growing  dark  when  I  started,  and  I  had 
not  traveled  far  before  the  night  closed  in,  and  I  had  to 
trust  to  the  instinct  of  my  horse  to  carry  me  safely 
over  the  prairie.  My  course  was  shaped  by  a  certain 
Btar  that  would  keep  me  on  the  right  trail  if  I  held  it 
steadily  in  view.  About  midnight  I  halted  at  a  small 
stream  to  water  the  horses,  and  hastily  prepare  for  my 
self  a  small  portion  of  the  parched  corn,  which  was 
done  by  mixing  a  handful  in  a  gourd  filled  with 
water.  This  corn  is  invaluable  to  those  who  wish  to 
traverse  long  distances,  without  being  hampered  with 
unnecessary  luggage.  With  a  sack  or  gourd  of  this 
article,  containing  about  an  half  bushel,  one  can  travel 
fifteen  or  twenty  days  without  other  sustenance. 

On  we  sped,  the  animals  straining  every  muscle  and 
nerve,  their  flanks  heaving  and  flecked  with  foam. 
No  sound  broke  upon  the  stillness  of  the  night,  save 
the  rapid  hoof-strokes  of  the  mustangs,  and  occasion 
ally  the  yelp  of  a  coyote  that  was  startled  in  his  mid 
night  prowlings  by  our  sudden  and  rapid  advance. 
Directly  in  my  course  loomed  up  a  huge  mound,  and 
f iirther  on  the  dark  forms  of  a  range  of  low  hills 
were  outlined  upon  the  horizon.  I  concluded  to  push 
on  and  gain  their  shelter.  Once  within  their  protect 
ing  shadow,  I  could  pursue  my  course  more  leisurely, 
and  without  the  fear  of  immediate  detection.  My 


256 

grand  anxiety  was  to  hide  or  blind  the  trail,  and  by 
this  means  baffle  the  sleuth  hounds,  who  were  by  this 
time  in  full  pursuit. 

I  had  not  proceeded  far  when  the  pony  came  to  a 
gudden  halt,  which  almost  unseated  me.  I  tried  to 
urge  him  forward  by  word  and  action,  but  it  was  of  no 
avail ;  he  refused  to  move,  and  stood  trembling  like 
an  aspen.  Leaning  forward  and  peering  over  his  neck, 
I  discovered,  to  my  dismay,  a  wide  chasm,  which  fully 
explained  why  the  mustang  ha<^  refused  to  be  urged 
forward.  The  banks  on  either*"  side  were  quite  level, 
and  no  indentations  or  ruggedness  marked  the  line  of 
separation.  One  could  ride  up  to  its  very  brink  with 
out  being  aware  of  a  break  in  the  prairie  level.  I  had 
thus  come  upon  one  of  those  larancas,  the  result  of 
volcanic  action,  that  are  so  frequently  met  with  in  this 
country.  There  was  no  alternative  but  to  ride  along 
its  edge  until  I  came  to  a  point  where  its  sides  were 
depressed  to  the  level  of  the  "plain.  This,  of  course, 
involved  a  long  detour,  and  a  consequent  loss  of 
valuable  time.  My  only  consolation  was  in  the  reflec 
tion  that  my  enemies,  in  following  the  trail,  would  be 
compelled  to  resort  to  the  same  tactics. 

I  had  journeyed  down  its  banks  about  three  miles, 
bef  ore  I  found  an  opportunity  to  cross.  As  I  reached 
the  opposite  side,  I  turned  and  looked  back.  Away 
to  my  right,  and  in  the  direction  from  whence  I  came, 
I  discerned  a  number  of  dark  specks  on  the  horizon, 
which  tilled  me  with  the  direst  apprehensions.  These 


257 

dark  objects  were,  doubtless,  the  forms  of  my  pursuers, 
who  had,  it  would  seem,  traveled  with  a  celerity  almost 
equaling  my  own.  The  chase  now  assumed  a  desperate 
aspect ;  before  me  lay  life,  hope,  and  freedom ;  behind 
was  a  nemesis  that  represented  captivity,  torture,  and 
death.  I  plied  the  whip  vigorously  to  the  flank  of  my 
jaded  steed,  in  the  frantic  endeavor  to  reach  the  cover 
of  the  mountain.  I  had  not  proceeded  far  on  my 
course,  when  my  pony  showed  unmistakable  signs  of 
giving  out.  Indeed,  I  had  not  made  more  than  a  mile 
on  my  course,  when  the  animal  stopped  abruptly.  I 
could  feel  him  tremble  under  my  weight;  and  drop 
ping  on  his  knees,  I  had  scarcely  time  to  leap  to  the 
ground  before  he  fell,  and  drawing  a  deep  sigh,  he 
turned  on  his  side  and  died,  being  absolutely  ridden 
to  death.  1  had  no  time  to  waste  in  mourning  the 
brave  little  animal  that  had  carried  me  thus  far  so 
faithfully.  My  robe  was  quickly  transferred  to  the 
other  horse,  and  the  flight  resumed.  Reaching  the 
base  of  the  hills,  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  find  water; 
and  throwing  myself  at  the  foot  of  a  tall  cottonwood, 
with  the  lariat  of  the  mustang  attached  to  my  wrist,  I 
determined  to  snatch  an  hour's  rest,  of  which  both  my 
mustang  and  myself  were  very  much  in  need,  after 
our  long  and  arduous  ride. 

I  was  awakened  by  a  violent  pulling  at  my  wrist, 
caused  by  the  horse,  in  trying  to  reach  fresh  grass. 
In  a  few  moments  I  was  up,  mounted,  and  away  onco 

more  in  the  direction  of  the  Mexican  towns.     Towards 

17 


258 

evening  I  came  to  a  river  of  some  magnitude.  It  was 
now  the  dry  season,  and  the  stream  was  only  a  rivulet 
compared  to  what  I  judged  it  must  be,  when  swollen 
by  the  rains  and  melting  snows  from  adjacent  moun 
tains. 

I  had,  during  the  latter  part  of  my  journey,  been 
casting  about  in  my  mind  a  series  of  plans,  which 
would  enable  me  to  blind  my  trail,  when  lo  !  here  was 
an  opportunity  that  surpassed  my  most  sanguine  ex 
pectations.  To  urge  my  horse,- in  to  the  stream  was 
the  work  of  a  moment,  and  then  turning  his  head  with 
the  current,  I  continued  the  journey.  At  times  the 
water  would  brush  the  animal's  flanks ;  again,  it  would 
suddenly  shallow,  and  scarcely  cover  his  fetlocks; 
occasionally  I  would  strike  a  deep  hole,  and  be  obliged 
to  swim  the  animal  some  rods,  'before  reaching  terra 
firma. 

These  irregularities  in  the  river-bed  were  due  to  its 
quicksand  formation,  which  was  constantly  shifting, 
shallowing  here,  deepening  there,  and  it  would  have 
been  sure  destruction  to  horse  and  rider,  if  we  stopped 
for  a  moment  in  our  tracks. 

After  journeying  in  this  manner  for  about  a  mile,  I 
entered  a  cation,  whose  walls  ascended  to  a  height  of 
thousands  of  feet,  perpendicularly.  On  emerging  from 
this  gloomy  pass,  a  sight  met  my  gaze  that  made  me 
shout  for  joy.  Gaining  the  bank  of  the  stream,  I  saw 
extended  before  me,  waving  fields  of  grain,  and  in  the 
background,  the  modest  spire  of  a  little  church,  which 


259 

was  surmounted  by  a  gilt  cross,  that  fairly  scintillated 
under  the  rays  of  the  noon-day  sun. 

I  had  arrived  then,  at  last,  within  the  confines  of 
civilization,  and  my  career  as  a  savage,  was  about  to 
be  abruptly  terminated.  As  I  pushed  forward,  along 
the  road  that  skirted  the  grain  fields,  and  the  familiar 
sounds  of  former  days  fell  upon  my  ears — the  tinkle 
of  the  cow  bells,  the  busy  hum,  that  filled  the  air  like 
the  whisper  of  early  recollections,  wafted  down 
through  the  airy  halls  of  time — made  the  scenes,  trials 
and  sufferings,  appear  but  as  a  horrid  dream,  and  I 
seemed  to  be  just  waking  to  reality.  A  glance  at  my 
tattooed  and  painted  form,  however,  soon  brought  me 
back  to  a  realizing  sense  of  my  position,  and  set  me 
to  reflecting  Ir  ';  I  should  explain  my  presence  in  this 
hostile  guise,  to  any  chance  inhabitant  whom  I  might 
meet. 

After  much  cogitation  on  the  subject,  I  concluded 
it  would  be  best  to  ride  boldly  into  the  village,  and 
seeking  the  Alcaid^  explain  by  situation  in  as  good 
Spanish  as  my  limited  knowledge  of  the  tongue, 
would  permit.  I  had  not  gone  far,  when  I  was  en 
circled  by  a  crowd  of  bewildered  and  frantic  Mexi 
cans,  who  were  shouting, "  Indios  /"  "  Los  Indios  !  " 
at  the  top  of  their  squeaky  voices ;  while  I  made  a 
running  accompaniment  to  their  remarks,  by  holding 
up  my  hands,  with  the  palm  outstretched  towards 
them,  and  shouting  in  my  turn,  "A.migo  !  " 

Beaching  the  plaza,  I  dismounted,  entered  the  can- 


260 

tina  and  called^  for  a  basin  of  water.  Stripping  the 
plumage  from  my  head,  and  relieving  my  body  of  its 
meritricious  adornment,  I  plunged  into  the  bath  pre 
pared  for  me,  and  came  out,  an  entirely  different  look 
ing  individual. 

The  news  of  my  arrival  had  collected  an  eager  and 
enthusiastic  multitude,  who  filled  the  patio.  I  said 
enthusiastic,  but  all  due  allowance  must'  be  made  for 
the  natural  and  inherited  indolence  of  the  Mexican. 

On  emerging  from  the  inn,  I  was  greeted  with  seve 
ral  shouts,  and  fifty  people  were  asking  me  questions 
in  one  breath,  all  bent  on  having  them  answered  in 
less  than  no  time.  I  finally  succeeded  in  relating  my 
history,  adventures  and  escape,  and  wound  up  with 
an  appeal  to  their  charity  ;  setting  fr  -*th  my  utterly 
destitute  condition,  in  the  most  glowing  terms  my 
execrable  Spanish  would  permit.  It  was  an  animated 
scene ;  the  men  in  the  checkered  scrape,  or  stripped 
blankets,  conical  sombreros,  with  broad  brims,  calzone- 
ros  of  velveteen,  with  rows  of  shining  buttons,  and  a 
sash  of  gaudy  color,  enciiiing  their  waists.  The  women 
were  no  less  conspicuous ;  draped  in  the  graceful  sebazo, 
the  short  vogna,  and  the  finely  embroidered  chemisette. 

My  appeal  was  not  met  with  that  spontaneous  gener 
osity  that  I  could  have  wished  ;  in  fact,  they  contributed 
nothing,  and  as  a  last  resort,  I  was  compelled  to  offer 
my  horse  for  sale  ;  which  venture  was  more  successful, 
and  I  soon  disposed  of  him  at  a  very  fair  price.  I  was 
now  enabled  to  buy  the  few  articles  of  clothing  that  I 


261 

was  most  in  need  of,  and  after  lingering  a  few  hours 
in  the  village,  I  concluded  to  push  on  towards  Santa 
Fe,  in  the  hope  of  falling  in  with  some  party  of  trad 
ers,  or  miners,  and  then  trust  to  the  chapter  of  acci 
dents  for  the  rest. 

Fortune  favored  me  in  my  designs,  as  I  soon  had 
an  opportunity  to  join  a  party  of  Mexicans,  who  were 
en  route  for  the  Capital  of  New  Mexico,  on  trading 
schemes  intent.  I  accompanied  them  in  the  capacity 
of  muleteer. 

Arriving  in  Santa  Fe,  I  immediately  repaired  to 
the  largest  inn,  being  attracted  thither  by  a  number 
of  uncouth  characters,  in  hunting  shirts,  and  slouch 
hats.  I  entered  unobtrusively,  and  took  a  quiet  sur 
vey  of  the  scene.  The  room  was  the  cantina,  and  all 
were  indulging  in  potations,  more  or  less  deep,  of  El 
Paso  whiskey.  The  atmosphere  was  redolent  of  the 
fumes  of  tobacco,  and  commingled  with  the  shouts 
and  coarse  language  of  the  men,  was  the  shrill  treble 
of  the  women,  who  darted  here  and  there,  through 
the  throng,  like  sunbeams. 

I  was  attracted  by  one  rude  specimen,  who  seemed 
bent  on  getting  up  a  fight.  This  great  rough  fellow, 
of  six  feet  and  over,  called  a  trim  little  poblana  to 
him,  with,  "  hyar,  my  little  muchacha  !  vamous,  and 
git  me  some  of  that  ?er  Pass,  good  now?  and  clar  !  " 
Then,  as  the  liquor  was  produced,  he  offered  the  waiter 
a  quantity  of  money,  which  was  unhesitatingly  ac 
cepted,  with  a  "  mucho  bueno,  senor." 


262 

"  ITooraw  for  yon  I  come  along,  let's  licker  up  all 
round,  and  have  a  dance  ;  you're  the  gal  for  my  beaver ; 
bully  for  old  Missouri  1 "  Suddenly,  a  pistol  was 
discharged  in  a  remote  corner  of  the  room,  and  there 
was  an  instantaneous  rush  in  that  quarter,  succeeded 
by  loud  cries,  oaths,  blows,  shooting,  din,  and  confu 
sion. 

Sick  and  weary  of  such  scenes,  I  left  the  cantina, 
and  sallying  forth  into  the  plaza,  wandered  down  the 
street,  not  knowing  where  to  gp,  or  what  was  to  be 
come  of  me.  I  cared  less. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A    NEW   DEPARTURE. 

LAD  to  escape  from  such  a  scene  of  riot  and  vio 
lence,  I  walked  rapidly  along  the  narrow  street, 
without  any  definite  idea  of  where  I  was  going. 
I  soon  passed  the  low  and  squalid  looking  rows 
of  adobe,  buildings,  which  compose  the  greater  part 
of  the  famous  "  Cuidad  de  Santa  Fe,"  and  came  out 
upon  the  open  plain  beyond. 

My  attention  was  attracted  by  a  small  group  of 
wagons  parked  upon  the  plain  a  short  distance  oil*,  and 
I  walked  towards  them,  thinking  perhaps,  to  fall  in 
with  some  of  iny  own  countrymen,  of  a  different  class 
from  the  brutal  roughs  I  had  lately  met.  The  wagons 
were  but  four  in  number,  and  the  party  to  which  they 
belonged  comprised  only  twelve  or  fifteen  persons. 
They  were  mostly  Americans,  and  from  their  dress 
and  manner  I  took  them  to  be  a  party  of  miners. 
All  were  stout,  hardy  looking  men,  with  an  air  that 
bespoke  familiarity  with  hardships  and  adventure. 
They  had  just  struck  camp,  and  were  evidently  pre 
paring  for  departure.  One,  who  seemed  to  act  as  their 
leader,  was  directing  operations,  and  apparently  exer 
cised  a  degree  of  authority  unusual  among  men  of 


2G4 

tins  class.  lie  was  a  stout,  broad-shouldered  man,  with 
a  good  natured  expression  of  countenance,  and  from  his 
voice  and  features,  easily  distinguishable  as  an  English 
man.  The  others  addressed  him  as  "Harding,"  or 
"Ked."  One  or  two  giving  him  the  familiar  appel 
lation  of  "  Hard  Pan,"  which  seemed  a  sort  of  soubri 
quet  by  which  he  was  known.  There  was  something  in 
his  appearance  which  inspired  me  with  the  belief  that  in 
him  I  might  find  a  friend  ;  and  impelled  by  this  feel 
ing  I  approached  him,  and  addressed  him  as  "  Mr." 
Harding,  explained  that  I  was*  a  stranger  and  desti 
tute,  in  what  was  to  me  a  strange  land,  and  implored 
him  to  give  me  employment  of  some  kind  with  his 
party,  so  that  I  might  in  time  be  enabled  to  return  to 
my  home  in  the  distant  East. 

"Where  do  ye  come  from,  lad?"  said  he,  looking 
at  me  with  some  interest,  and  noticing  the  ineffaceable 
marks  upon  my  face — my  legacy  from  the  Cainanches, 
and  which  I  am  destined  to  carry  to  my  grave. 

In  as  few  words  as  possible  I  told  him  my  story,  inter 
rupted  by  many  exclamations  of  wonder  and  sympathy 
from  my  simple-minded  listener.  As  I  concluded  he 
slapped  me  on  the  back,  and  declared  that  I  should 
join  his  party,  and  should  never  want  for  a  bite  or  sup 
while  Ned  Harding  was  to  the  fore.  By  this  time  the 
other  men  of  the  party  had  gathered  around,  and  I  was 
compelled  to  repeat  my  tale,  which  excited  both  pity 
and  interest  in  the  breasts  of  the  kind-hearted  miners, 
who  declared  that  the  "  cussed  Kimanch  ought  to  be 


265 

wiped  out."  "Aye,  every  mother's  son  of  them," 
added  !Ned,  " for  playing  such  tricks  upon  travelers, 
the  bloody-minded  heathen." 

It  was  soon  agreed  upon  that  I  should  accompany 
the  party,  who  were  on  their  way  to  the  old  Spanish 
mine  of  San  Ildefonso,  formerly  noted  as  one  of  the 
richest  in  the  province  of  !N"ew  Mexico,  but  for  many 
years  deserted  by  the  Mexicans  from  terror  of  the 
savage  Apache  and  Navajo.  The  men  composing  the 
party  of  which  I  had  now  become  a  member,  were 
not  to  be  deterred  in  their  search  for  a  golden  harvest 
by  any  fears  of  such  a  nature,  and  had  determined  to 
visit  the  old  mine  and  "  prospect"  in  its  vicinity,  with 
the  hope  of  finding  a  paying  lead.  They  had  with 
them  all  the  necessary  utensils  for  their  purpose,  were 
well-armed,  and  with  an  abundant  stock  of  provisions, 
and  seemed  one  and  all  to  be  confident  of  success  in 
their  enterprise. 

I  will  spare  the  reader  unnecessary  details,  and 
merely  state  that  we  started  within  an  hour  on  our 
journey,  and  after  a  wearisome  and  uninteresting  trip 
of  eighteen  days,  reached  the  scene  of  our  future  ope 
rations,  and  which  was  destined  to  be  my  abiding 
place  for  nearly  two  years.  A  suitable  spot  was 
selected,  convenient  to  both  wood  and  water ;  a  few 
rude  huts  were  erected,  and  the  town  of  "  Harding  " 

/  O 

sprang  into  being. 

After  getting  fairly  settled,  and  resting  somewhat 
from  the  fatigue  incident  to  our  journey  and  OKT 


266 

labors  in  preparing  our  camp,  we  divided  in  parties  of 
three  and  four,  and  went  to  "  prospecting  "  in  various 
directions  for  the  precious  metal,  which  was  the  object 
of  our  expedition.  In  this  we  were  moderately  suc 
cessful,  and  we  soon  had  our  mining  operations  in  full 
"blast.  1  always  worked  in  company  with  "  Ned,"  as 
I  had  learned  to  call  him,  and  although  he  favored  me 
to  a  degree,  assigning  to  me  all  the  lighter  portions  of 
the  work,  I  soon  found  that  it  was  the  most  severe 
labor  I  had  ever  under  undertaken,  although  I  had 
been  inured  to  toil  and  hardship%of  almost  every  kind 
during  my  long  residence  with  the  Camanches. 

The  old  mine  was  situated  at  the  base  of  a  precipi 
tous  cliff  of  quartz  rock.  A  number  of  rude  shafts 
pierced  the  mountain  side.  Some  had  penetrated  to  a 
considerable  depth ;  others  more  shallow,  showing 
that  the  lead  had  proved  unprofitable,  and  been 
speedily  abandoned. 

On  the  banks  of  a  little  stream  which  wound  around 
the  base  of  the  cliff,  stood  the  old  smelting  houses 
and  ruined  ranches  of  the  Mexican  miners.  Most  of 
them  were  roofless  and  crumbling  to  decay.  The 
ground  about  them  was  shaggy  and  choked  up.  There 
•vere  briers,  mezcal  plants,  and  many  varieties  of 
cactus ;  all  luxuriant,  hirsute,  and  thorny.  These  wo 
speedily  cleared  away,  and  selecting  one  of  the  largest 
of  the  old  smelting  houses,  we  soon  put  in  order  for 
work.  Besides  our  "quartz"  mining  in  the  old 
shafts  and  in  new  ones  which  we  opened  wo  also 


2G7 

engaged  in  "gulch"  and  "surface"  mining  in  the 
vicinity. 

As  some  account  of  the  different  modes  employed 
to  get  at  the  precious  metals,  with  which  the  rocks  and 
soils  of  the  far  western  states  are  so  richly  stored, 
may  not  be  uninteresting  to  the  reader,  I  will  briefly 
give  it. 

Mining  for  gold  alone  is  divided  into  two  general 
classes :  that  which  seeks  the  mental  from  the  solid 
rock  or  quartz,  and  that  which  finds  it  in  sand,  gravel, 
or  soil.  The  former  process  is  the  universal  and 
familiar  one  of  ail  rock  mining,  following  the  rich  veins 
into  the  bowels  of  the  earth  with  pick  and  powder, 
crushing  the  rock  and  separating  the  infinitesimal 
atoms  of  metal  from  the  dusty,  powdered  mass. 

The  theory  of  the  geologists  is,  that  this  is  the 
original  form  or  deposit  of  the  precious  metals ;  that 
the  gold  found  in  gravel,  sand,  or  soil,  lying  as  it  does 
almost  universally  in  the  beds  of  rivers,  or  under  the 
eaves  of  the  mountains,  has  been  washed  or  ground 
out  of  the  hard  hills  by  the  action  of  the  elements 
through  long  years.  "Washing  with  water  is  the  uni 
versal  means  of  getting  at  these  deposits  of  the  gold. 
But  the  scale  on  which  this  work  is  done,  and  the  in 
strumentalities  of  application  vary  from  the  simple 
hand-pan,  pick,  and  shovel  of  the  original  miner, 
operating  along  the  banks  of  a  little  stream,  to  grand 
combination  enterprises  for  changing  the  entire  course 
of  a  river,  running  shafts  down  hundreds  of  feet  to  get 


268 

into  the  beds  of  long  ago  streams,  and  bringing  water 
through  ditches  and  flumes,  and  greftt  pipes  for  ten  or 
twenty  miles,  and  withall  to  wash  down  a  hillside  of 
golden  gravel,  and  extract  its  precious  particles.  The 
simple  individual  pan-washers  are  the  first  in  the  field, 
but  it  soon  ceases  to  be  profitable  to  this  class  of  opera 
tors,  and  they  soon  move  on  in  search  of  richer  "  dig 
gings."  The  other  means  are  employed  on  greater  or 
less  scales  of  magnitude,  by  combinations  of  men  and 
capital.  All  the  forms  of  gold-washing  run  into  each 
other,  indeed  ;  and  companies,  sometimes  consisting  of 
only  two  or  three  persons,  with  capitals  of  a  few  hun 
dred  dollars  merely,  buy  a  sluice  claim,  or  seize  a 
deserted  bed,  and  with  shovel  and  pick,  and  a  small 
stream  of  water,  run  the  sands  over  and  over  through 
the  sluiceways,  and  at  the  end  of  the  day,  or  week,  or 
month,  gather  up  the  deposits  of  gold  in  the  bottoms 
and  at  the  ends  of  their  sluices.  From  this,  operations 
ascend  to  a  magnitude  involving  hundreds  of  thousands, 
and  employing'  hundreds  of  men  as  partners  or  day 
laborers  for  the  managers.  Sometimes,  too,  the  enter 
prise  is  divided,  and  companies  are  organized  that 
furnish  the  water  alone,  and  sell  it  out  to  the  miners 
or  washers,  according  to  their  wants. 

The  raising  of  auriferous  sands  and  gravel  from  the 
deeply  covered  beds  of  old  streams,  by  running  down 
shafts  and  tunnels  into  and  through  such  beds,  is  called 
^  deop  diggings,"  or  "  bed  rock  diggings ; "  and  in  their 
pursuit,  the  bottoms  of  ancient  rivers  will  be  followed 


269 

through  the  country  for  mile  after  mile,  and  many  feet 
below  the  present  surface  of  the  earth.  The  miners 
in  this  faskion  go  down  until  they  reach  the  bed  rock 
along  which  the  water  originally  ran,  and  here  they 
find  the  richest  deposits. 

The  other  sort  of  heavy  gold  washing,  employing 
powerful  streams  of  water  to  tear  down  and  wash  out 
the  soil  of  hillsides  that  cover  or  hold  golden  deposits, 
is  known  as  "  hydraulic  mining."  This  is  the  most 
unique  and  extensive  process,  involving  the  largest 
capital  and  risk.  The  water  is  brought  from  mountain 
lakes  and  rivers,  through  ditches  and  flumes,  some 
times  supported  by  trestle  work,  fifty  or  one  hundred 
feet  high,  to  near  the  scene  of  operations.  Then  it  is 
let  from  the  flumes  into  large  and  stout  iron  pipes, 
which  grow  gradually  smaller  and  smaller.  Out  of 
these  it  is  passed  into  hose,  like  that  of  a  fire  engine  ; 
and  through  this  it  is  discharged  with  terrific  force 
into  the  bank  or  bed  of  earth,  which  is  speedily  torn 
down  and  washed  with  resistless  separating  power  into 
narrow  beds  or  sluices  in  the  lower  valleys ;  and  as  it 
goes  along  these,  the  more  solid  gold  particles  deposit 
themselves  in  the  rifs  or  slight  barriers  placed  for  that 
purpose  across  its  path. 

Usually,  in  large  operations  of  this  kind,  the  main 
stream  .of  water  is  divided  in  the  final  discharging 
hose  into  two  or  more  streams,  which  spout  out  into 
the  hillside  as  if  from  so  many  fire  engines,  but  with 
immensely  more  force.  One  of  these  streams  would 


270 

instantly  kill  man  or  animal  that  should  get  before  it ; 
and  fatal  accidents  frequently  happen  from  this  source. 
Sometimes  a  water  company  taps  lakes  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  off  in  the  mountains,  and  turns  whole 
rivers  into  its  ditches.  There  are  in  some  localities 
supposed  rich  gold  banks  and  beds,  which  only  require 
water  for  developcment,  but  to  get  which  would  re 
quire  an  outlay  for  ditches  of  many  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  It  is  probable  that  it  would  be  a  richly  paying 
investment,  however,  and  the  principal  reason  why  it 
is  not  undertaken  is  the  lack  ol  certain  laws,  regulat 
ing;  mining  claims,  and  the  conflicts  and  doubts  that 

O  O 

are  occasioned  by  the  neglect  of  the  government  to 
establish  the  terms  of  ownership  in  mining  lands.  As 
it  is  now,  possession  is  the  principal  title  to  mining 
properties  ;  prospectors  and  miners  have  established  a 
few  general  rules  for  determining  the  rights  of  each 
other,  and  they  can  occupy  the  properties  that  they 
discover  or  purchase  to  a  certain  limited  extent.  No 
one  person  is  permitted  to  take  up  more  than  a  cer 
tain  amount  in  feet  or  acres.  The  goverment  so  far 
has  done  nothing  with  these  mineral  lands,  whose  real 
ownership  is  still  in  itself,  and  derives  no  revenue 
from  them. 

Whenever  difficulties  arise  and  are  brought  before 
the  courts,  the  regulations  of  the  miners  of  the  dis 
trict  where  the  properties  are  located  has  generally 
been  sustained.  But  the  apprehension  that  the  gov 
ernment  will  yet  assume  its  rights  and  establish  differ- 


271 

cnt  rules  for  the  possession  and  use  of  these  lands, 
and  the  uncertainty  and  controversies  growing  out  of 
the  present  loose  ways  of  making  and  holding  claims, 
are  a  serious  obstacle  to  large  enterprises,  and  a  hind 
rance  to  the  best  sort  of  mining  progress  and  prosper 
ity  throughout  all  the  western  mining  country.  The 
profits  obtained  in  some  cases  of  extensive  deep  dig 
gings  and  hydraulic  mining  arc  very  great.  A  thou 
sand  dollars  a  day  is  often  washed  out  by  a  company 
holding  rich  soil  and  employing  a  large  force  ;  and  a 
run  of  several  weeks,  averaging  from  fifty  to  one  hun 
dred  dollars  a  day  for  each  man  employed  is  frequent 
ly  recorded.  A  single  "cleaning  up"  after  a  few 
weeks'  washing  in  a  rich  place  has  produced  fifty  thou 
sand  dollars  in  gold  dust  and  nuggets ;  and  in  some 
cases,  even  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  has  been  re 
ported.  These  are  the  extreme  cases  of  good  fortune, 
however ;  other  enterprises  are  run  at  a  loss,  or  with 
varying  result;  but  the  gold  washing,  as  a  general 
thing  pay  good  wages,  and  a  fair  return  to  the  cap 
ital  invested. 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  imagine,  and  wholly  impos 
sible  to  describe  the  ruin  and  wreck  to  be  seen  every 
where  in  the  path  of  the  larger  gold  washing  opera 
tions.  Streams  naturally  pure  as  crystal,  become 
changed  to  a  thick,  yellow  mud,  from  this  cause,  early 
in  their  passage  out  from  the  hills.  Many  of  them 
are  turned  out  of  their  original  channels,  either  directly 
for  mining  purposes,  or  in  consequence  of  the  great 


272 

masses  of  soil  and  gravel  that  come  down  from  the 
gold  washings  above.  Thousands  of  acres  of  fine 
lands  along  their  banks  are  ruined  forever,  by  deposits 
of  this  character.  The  mining  interest  respects  no 
rights  but  its  own.  A  farmer  may  have  his  whole 
estate  changed  to  a  barren  waste,  by  a  flood  of  sand 
and  gravel  from  some  hydraulic  mining  up  the  stream. 
If  a  line  orchard  or  garden  stands  in  the  way  of  the 
working  of  a  rich  gulch  or  bank,  orchard  and  garden 
are  doomed.  They  are  torn  down,  dug  out,  washed 
to  pieces,  and  then  washed  tfver  side  hills.  Where 
the  process  of  hydraulic  mining  has  been,  or  is  being 
carried  on,  the  country  presents  an  appearance  of  dev 
astation  and  ruin  that  is  scarcely  imaginable ;  forming 
a  frightful  blot  upon  the  face  of  nature. 

For  this  sort  of  mining  on  a  large  scale,  we  had  no 
facilities,  so  we  were  compelled  to  work  in  a  very 
small  way,  and  be  satisfied  with  correspondingly  small 
results.  News  of  our  successful  establishment  of  the 
old  mine,  in  some  way  reached  Santa  Fe,  and,  rushing 
to  the  conclusion  that  we  had  found  a  new  Eldorado, 
all  the  floating  population  of  that  decaying  city 
swooped  down  upon  us,  and  we  soon  found  quite  a 
populous  settlement  growing  up  around  us. 

A.  very  decided  change  in  our  situation  resulted  from 
this,  and  some  rather  exciting  events  transpired,  but 
these  I  will  leave  for  another  chapter.  Soon  after  the 
accessions  to  our  community  had  become  so  numerous, 
my  friend  and  partner,  Ned  Harding,  fell  ill.  This 


273 

put  a  sudden  stop  to  our  mining  operations,  and  for 
several  weeks  I  was  compelled  to  remain  by  the  side 
of  his  rude  couch,  attending  to  his  wants,  and  doing 
all  that  I  could  to  facilitate  his  recovery. 

Among  the  new  arrivals  at  our  "  diggings  "  was  a 
Mexican,  who  had  followed  the  profession  of  a  medico 
in  former  times,  but  who  was  now  an  inveterate  gold 
hunter ;  one  of  the  sort  who  are  perpetually  on  the 
move  from  place  to  place,  seeking  placers  of  fabulous 
richness,  but  never  working  any  claim  long  enough  to 
fairly  develop  it.  Perhaps  they  have  no  sooner  com 
menced  operations  in  one  place,  when  a  rumor  comes 
of  rich  finds  at  some  far  distant  point,  and  off  they 
go,  to  repeat  the  same  performance  indefinitely. 

When  Ned  was  first  taken  sick,  I  thought  of  this 
Mexican  doctor,  and  at  once  went  in  search  of  him. 
With  some  difficulty  I  persuaded  him  to  get  out  of  the 
hole  in  which  he  was  working,  and  go  to  see  my 
friend.  We  had  a  few  simple  medicines  among  our 
supplies,  and  from,  some  of  these  the  ex-doctor  pre 
pared  a  potion  for  Ned,  which  he  declared  would  be 
"  mucho  lueno"  and  that  the  patient  would  be  all 
right  in  "  ires  dias"  at  the  most.  The  result,  how 
ever,  failed  to  justify  his  expectations,  for  Ned  be 
came  no  better,  although  there  was  no  marked  change 
for  the  worse.  It  went  on  in  this  way  for  several 
weeks  ;  I  continuing  to  give  the  medicines  prescribed 
by  the  Mexican  physician,  but  without  any  apparent 

result. 

18 


Ned  seemed  to  be  in  a  kind  of  low  fever,  and  to 
constantly  lose  strength.  The  stomach  seemed  to  en 
tirely  refuse  its  ofiice,  and  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
give  him  any  food,  however  light,  that  he  could  keep 
down  much  longer  than  while  eating  it.  lie  com 
plained  greatly  of  pain  in  the  back  and  head,  and  a 
constant  feeling  of  nausea  at  the  stomach,  or,  as  he  ex 
pressed  it,  u  I  tell  ye,  lad,  theare's  something  thear  as 
wants  to  come  up  and  can't."  Finally,  seeing  no  signs 
of  improvement  from  the  treatment  pursued  by  our 
Mexican  friend,  and  becoming  greatly  alarmed  at 
Ned's  condition,  I  was  sitting  one  day,  in  great  de 
spondency,  upon  a  stump  in  front  of  our  hut,  when  it 
suddenly  flashed  upon  my  mind  that  I  had  never 
tried  the  Indian  remedy,  in.  the  preparation  and  ad 
ministration  of  which  I  had  spent  so  great  a  part  of 
my  life.  For  some  reason  it  had  never  occurred  to  me 
to  use  it,  and  indeed,  I  did  not  know  whether  it  was 
possible  to  procure  the  necessary  ingredients,  in  my 
present  location,  although  I  judged  it  probable  that 
I  might  do  so.  At  all  events,  I  determined  to  make 
the  attempt,  and  accordingly  I  went  "  prospecting '' 
for  the  required  herbs,  roots,  etc.,  that  very  day. 
After  two  days  spent  in  this  way,  I  succeeded  in  pro 
curing  all  the  ingredients  which  I  had  so  many  times 
compounded  under  "Wakometkla's  direction,  and  lost 
no  time  in  preparing  the  medicine.  I  then  commenced 
giving  it  to  my  patient  in  small  doses,  at  intervals  of 
four  or  five  hours,  through  the  day,  and  was  soon  grati- 


275 

fied    to  find  an  almost  immediate  inipiovement  in 
his  condition. 

The  second  day  after  commencing  this  treatment, 
the  fever  left  him  ;  he  broke  out  into  a  profuse  perspi 
ration,  and  fell  into  a  deep  sleep,  which  lasted  for 
many  hours.  When  he  awoke  he  complained  of  feel 
ing  very  hungry ;  and  when  I  prepared  some  food  he 
ate  quite  heartily,  and  retained  it  on  his  stomach  with 
out  difficulty.  Encouraged  by  these  favorable  indi 
cations,  I  continued  the  medicine,  and  with  surprising 
results.  His  recovery  was  so  rapid  that  it  seemed  almost 
miraculous.  In  eight  days  he  declared  himself  en 
tirely  well,  and  almost  overwhelmed  me  with  expres 
sions  of  gratitude,  declaring  that  I  had  saved  his  life. 
I  told  him  that  his  thanks  were  due  not  to  me,  but  to 
Wakometkla,  the  strange  old  medicine-man  of  the 
Camanches,  or,  more  properly,  to  that  higher  Power, 
which  had  enabled  this  uneducated  savage  to  discover 
and  prepare  from  the  simple  growths  of  the  forest  and 
mountain,  so  wonderful  a  remedy  for  "  all  the  ills  that 
flesh  is  heir  to."  Ned  was  so  universal  a  favorite 
among  the  miners,  that  his  illness  had  excited  great 
sympathy  and  commiseration.  As  he  went  about, 
trumpeting  forth  my  praise  as  a  medical  practitioner, 
I  soon  found  that  I  had  gained  considerable  notoriety. 
The  miners  dubbed  me  "  Doctor,"  and  called  for  my 
services  in  all  cases  requiring  medical  assistance.  With 
Wakometkla's  remedy  alone  as  my  entire  pharmaco 
poeia,  I  battled  with  many  forms  of  disease  incident 


276 

to  our  rough  and  exposed  life,  and  met  with  almost 
unvarying  success.  In  fact,  in  that  region  I  expect 
I  shall  never  be  known  by  any  other  title  than  "  Doc 
tor,''  although  I  do  not  claim  or  fancy  such  a  designa 
tion.  It  would  be  well  for  the  people  if  the  old 
school  mineral  physicians,  who  are  rapidly  ruining 
the  health  of  the  entire  nation  by  the  free  use  of  dele 
terious  and  poisonous  drugs,  would  take  a  leaf  from 
the  book  of  nature,  and  re-study  their  profession  in  the 
same  school  from  which  I  graduated — the  school  of 
nature. 


CHAPTEE  XXIX. 

THE    "VIGILANTS." 

ITH  the  influx  of  population  to  our  settlement 
came  adventurers  of  all  classes ;  desperadoes, 
gamblers,  broken  down  professional  men,- 
nympJis  du  pave  of  the  coarse  and  vulgar 
sort,  gentlemen  who  "  had  interests "  in  "  wild-cat " 
mines  in  half  the  counties  of  the  Pacific  States,  greas 
ers,  or  Mexicans,  Indians  (pueblas\ — in  short,  a  con 
glomerate  mass  of  humanity;  or,  judging  by  later 
events,  one  might  rather  say  inhumanity, — such  as  is 
nowhere  to  be  seen  but  in  the  mining  towns  of  the  far 
West.  Under  the  instructions  of  Ned  Harding,  we 
had  on  our  first  arrival  "located"  all  the  ".claims** 
that  there  was  any  probability  of  our  working,  and 
we  were  therefore  secured  against  interference  on  the 
part  of  the  new  comers,  who  went  prospecting  all  over 
the  adjacent  country,  locating  claims  by  the  hundred. 
As  the  process  of  "  locating "  claims  may  be  new 
to  the  reader,  I  will  give  a  brief  description  of  it. 

The  first  thing  is  to  find  your  "  lead,"  for  this  pre 
cious  metal  is  not  found  indiscriminately  in  every 
rock  or  ledge  you  may  chance  upon.  It  is  found  only 


278 

in  the  quartz  rock,  a  ledge  of  which,  say  twenty  feet 
in  thickness,  may  run  like  a  curbstone  set  on  edge  for 
many  miles  across  hills  and  in  valleys.  It  may  be  a 
mile  in  depth,  and  maintain  a  nearly  uniform  thick 
ness,  being  perfectly  distinct  from  the  casing  rock  on 
each  side  of  it,  and  keeping  its  distinctive  character 
always,  no  matter  how  deep  or  how  far  into  the  earth 
it  extends.  Wherever  it  is  bored  into,  gold  and  silver 
are  found ;  but  none  in  the  meaner  rock  surrounding 
it.  This  peculiar  rock  formation  is  called  a  "  lead  ;  " 
and  one  of  these  you  must  iirsE  find  before  you  have 
anything  to  "  locate  "  a  claim  upon.  When  your  pros 
pecting  has  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  a  "  lead," 
you  write  out  and  put  up  a  "  notice  "  as  follows  : 

NOTICE. 

I  (or  we),  the  undersigned,  claim  one  (or  more,  ac 
cording  to  the  number  of  the  party)  claim  of  three 
hundred  feet,  and  one  for  discovery,  on  this  silver — (or 
gold)  bearing  quartz  lead,  or  lode,  extending  east  and 
west  from  this  notice,  with  all  its  dips,  spurs,  and 
angles,  extensions  and  sinuosities,  together  with  lifty 
feet  of  ground  on  each  side  for  working  the  same. 

Then  you  file  a  copy  of  the  same  with  the  Mining 
Recorder  in  the  town,  and  your  claim  is  "  entered."  In 
order  to  secure  it,  however,  you  must,  within  ten  days, 
do  a  certain  amount  of  work  upon  the  property,  or 
any  one  may  re-enter  it  at  the  expiration  of  that  time. 

Among  the  most  important  citizens  in  every  mining 


279 

community  arc  the  assay ers,  of  whom  there  are  general 
ly  a  swarm  to  be  found  about  every  new  strike ;  some 
of  them  the  veriest  charlatans  that  ever  disgraced  an 
honorable  profession. 

When  you  have  located  your  claim,  the  next  thing 
is  to  select  some  specimens  and  subject  them  to  the 
test  of  the  "  fire  assay."  For  this  purpose  it  is  custom 
ary  to  select  the  richest  lump  you  can  find,  and  take  it 
to  the  assayer.  On  the  result  of  his  assay,  he  will 
predicate  that  a  ton  of  such  ore  would  yield  hundreds, 
perhaps  thousands  of  dollars  ;  and  in  this  way  many  a 
worthless  mine  has  been  sold  for  a  large  price.  In 
fact,  I  think,  as  a  rule,  the  speculators  made  far  more 
than  the  miners  themselves. 

We  had  at  one  time  an  assayer  in  our  camp,  who 
obtained  such  rich  results  from  every  specimen  of  rock 
brought  to  him,  that  he  soon  had  a  virtual  monopoly 
of  the  business.  No  matter  what  specimen  might  be 
brought  to  him,  he  would  demonstrate  that  it  contained 
BO  large  a  portion  of  gold  or  silver,  that  the  develop 
ment  of  the  mine  could  not  fail  to  be  profitable.  Some 
of  his  rivals  in  the  trade,  becoming  jealous  of  his 
superior  success,  conspired  together  and  concocted  a 
plan  for  his  overthrow.  One  of  them  procured  some 
where  an  old  lapstone,  and  breaking  it  into  small 
fragments,  selected  one  as  the  specimen  to  be  subjected 
to  the  intended  victim  for  testing.  They  let  several 
of  the  principal  miners  into  the  secret,  and  as  there 
had  been  some  doubts  of  the  reliability  of  the  reports 


280 

of  the  assayer  in  question,  they  readily  assented  to 
assist  in  proving  the  truth  of  the  matter.  So  one  of 
them  brought  him  the  "  specimen  "  and  left  it  for  assay. 
The  result  was  encouraging  in  the  extreme  ;  for  in  the 
course  of  an  hour  the  assayer  sent  in  his  report,  from 
which  it  appeared  that  a  ton  of  rock  equal  to  the  sample, 
would  yield  $1,324.80  in  silver,  and  $214.58  in  gold. 
The  whole  matter  was  at  once  made  public,  and  tl  e 
discomfited  charlatan  immediately  found  that  im 
portant  business  called  him  elsewhere,  and  departed 
between  two  days.  It  was  well  for  him  that  he  did 
so  ;  for  so  great  was  the  popular  indignation,  that  it  is 
probable  he  would  have  found  a  pemnanent  residence, 
in  the  vicinity,  could  the  excited  miners  have  laid 
hands  on  him  at  this  time. 

The  town  of  "  Harding  "  had  now  developed  into 
an  embryo  city.  We  had  nearly  two  thousand  in 
habitants,  representing  every  grade  of  civilization  and 
barbarism,  principally  the  latter.  At  night  the  place 
presented  an  animated  spectacle  ;  for  about  every  third 
shanty  was  either  a  drinking  den  or  a  gambling  hell. 
All  were  brilliantly  lighted  arid  wide  open  to  the  street, 
from  which  you  could  see  the  excited  groups  around 
the  gaming  tables,  or  before  the  bars.  Every  man 
went  armed  to  the  teeth.  Fights  and  affrays  were  of 
almost  daily — nay,  hourly — occurrence.  The  crack  of 
the  pistol  became  a  very  familiar  sound  in  my  ears,  and 
BO  frequent  were  the  scenes  of  violence  and  murder, 
that  I  began  to  think  that  the  men  I  was  among  were 


231 

worse  than  the  savages  with  whom  my  lot  had  been 
cast  in  former  years. 

To  such  a  pass  did  the  insolence  and  brutality  of 
these  desperadoes  come  at  last,  that  the  better  class  of 
the  miners  began  to  talk  among  themselves  of  the 
necessity  for  doing  something  to  check  it ;  but  none 
seemed  disposed  to  take  the  lead,  and  things  went  on 
from  bad  to  worse,  until  the  arrival  of  a  new  actor 
upon  the  scene  brought  them  to  a  climax,  and  disorder 
and  violence  culminated,  in  a  sudden  and  severe  spasm 
of  justice. 

The  new  arrival,  who  was  destined  to  be  the  prin 
cipal  figure  in  the  tragic  scenes  about  to  be  enacted, 
was  a  Kentuckian,  named  Reid.  He  was  some  twenty- 
eight  or  thirty  years  of  age,  of  medium  size  and  finely 
proportioned,  but  very  athletic.  He  had  a  frank  and 
engaging  expression  of  countenance,  and  nothing  in 
his  appearance  would  seem  to  indicate  the  hardened 
ruffian ;  yet  he  was  reported  to  have  slain  thirty-two 
men  in  affrays  or  personal  difficulties  since  he  came 
into  the  mining  country.  From  the  very  day  of  his 
arrival,  this  man  became  the  acknowledged  leader  of 
all  the  lawless  elements  of  our  community ;  and  as  he 
seemed  to  be  thirsting  for  notoriety,  outrage  followed 
outrage  in  rapid  succession. 

Among  our  own  original  party  was  a  quiet,  inoffen 
sive  German,  named  Schaeffer,  than  whom  a  more 
peaceable  man  could  nowhere  be  found.  Against  him 
Keid  seemed  to  have  a  special  spite  from  the  moment 


282 

he  first  encountered  him ;  and  finally,  meeting  him 
one  evening  in  the  "  El  Dorado  "  saloon,  he  forced  a 
quarrel  on  him,  and  then  shot  poor  Sehaeffer  dead, 
before  the  latter  had  time  to  make  a  movement  in 
his  own  defense.  He  apparently  supposed  that  this 
would  be  passed  over  in  the  same  manner  as  his  pre 
vious  ill  deeds;  but  for  once  he  was  mistaken.  In 
killing  Schaeffcr  he  had  roused  against  him  a  deter 
mined  and  bitter  enemy,  none  other  than  Ned  Hard 
ing  himself,  who  was  now  acting  as  mayor,  or  alcalde, 
of  the  town  named  in  his  honor.  Ked  quickly  gath 
ered  together  our  own  party,  and  some  twenty-five  of 
the  leading  men  in  the  place,  and  announced  his 
determination  to  form  a  "  Vigilance  Committee,"  and 

o  / 

rid  the  town  of  the  desperadoes  who  infested  it.  The 
entire  party  acquiesced  in  the  wisdom  of  the  proposal, 
and  the  committee  was  organized  then  and  there. 
After  some  consultation,  a  plan  of  operations  was 
agreed  upon,  and  at  once  put  in  practice. 

The  next  morning  a  neatly  written  note  appeared 
posted  in  several  prominent  places  in  the  camp,  warn 
ing  all  objectionable  characters  to  leave  town  within 
twenty-four  hours,  or  their  lives  would  be  forfeited. 
This  document  was  signed,  "  The  Vigilants,"  and  natu 
rally  created  considerable  stir  and  excitement  among 
the  parties  at  whom  it  was  directed,  and  many  of  them 
took  the  warning  and  departed ;  but  some  of  the  more 
desperate,  in  all  about  twenty  in  number,  banded 
themselves  together  under  the  leadership  of  Eeid,  and 


283 

B  wore  that  they  would  never  leave  town,  except  of 
their  own  free  will,  and  defied  the  Vigilants  to  touch 
any  one  of  their  number. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  twenty-four  hours,  we  de 
termined  to  arrest  all  the  members  of  Reid's  party, 
and  deal  with  them  as  they  deserved.  Accordingly, 
we  mustered  our  forces,  and  at  the  same  time  made 
known  our  intentions  to  most  of  the  more  prominent 
men  in  the  camp.  When  all  our  arrangements  were 
completed,  we  proceeded  in  search  of  our  game,  and 
in  a  couple  of  hours  had  caught  and  caged  every 
xiember  of  the  gang,  with  two  exceptions.  One  of 
these  had  in  some  way  become  aware  of  our  inten 
tions,  and  he  found  it  convenient  to  seek  another 
locality  without  delay.  The  other  man  was  no  less  a 
person  than  Reid  himself;  and  he  went  about  boast 
ing  that  no  man  dare  arrest  him,  and  threatening  with 
instant  death  any  man  who  should  attempt  it.  This 
duty  Ked  Harding  had  reserved  for  himself,  and  when 
all  was  in  readiness,  he  set  out  to  accomplish  it.  As 
he  was  not  known  to  be  a  "  Vigilant,"  and  was  noted 
as  a  man  of  very  quiet  and  peaceable  character,  no 
suspicion  attached  to  liiin  of  being  concerned  in  the 
matter.  Arming  himself,  he  went  into  the  main 
street  of  the  village,  and  entering  one  of  the  principal 
saloons,  confronted  the  desperado.  The  latter  must 
have  seen  in  Ked's  eye  that  he  meant  mischief,  for  he 
made  a  motion  as  if  to  draw  a  weapon ;  but  before  he 
could  do  so,  he  was  seized  by  the  throat,  and  thrown 


284: 

to  the  ground  with  the  full  force  of  Ned's  muscular 
arm.  Other  "  vigilants,"  to  the  number  of  about 
twenty,  closed  in  around  the  fallen  man  and  his  cap 
tor,  with  drawn  revolvers,  and  guarded  against  any 
attempt  at  rescue.  Reid  was  securely  bound,  lifted  tc 
his  feet,  and  placed  in  close  confinement  in  one  of  the 
shanties  belonging  to  our  party,  under  the  guard  of 
two  well-armed  and  determined  men. 

Two  hours  later  all  the  prisoners  were  brought  up 
for  execution.  The  miners  turned  out  in  large  num 
bers,  and  forming  in  solid  column,  armed  to  the  teeth, 
they  marched  up  the  principal  street  and  halted  in 
front  of  the  building  where  most  of  the  prisoners  were 
confined.  The  doomed  men  were  quickly  brought 
out,  and  informed  of  the  fate  in  store  for  them,  at  the 
same  time  Ned  Harding  made  his  appearance,  lead 
ing  Reid,  and  the  same  announcement  was  made  to  the 
latter.  Such  a  scene  as  ensued,  I  hope  never  to  see 
again.  These  apparently  fearless  desperadoes,  who 
had  repeatedly  imbrued  their  hands  in  human  blood 
without  an  instant's  hesitation,  were  transformed  on 
the  moment,  into  a  pack  of  wliining  cowards;  beg 
ging  and  entreating  in  the  most  abject  manner,  that 
their  lives  might  be  spared. 

Reid,  the  ringleader  of  all,  was  the  most  utter 
craven  of  the  whole  number,  and  shrieks,  curses  and 
prayers  for  mercy  rolled  unceasingly  from  his  lips,  un 
til  the  rope  choked  his  utterance.  Just  outside  the 
camp,  stood  a  considerable  grove  of  trees ;  to  this  we 


285 

repaired  with  our  prisoners,  and  in  ten  minntes  more 
they  were  run  up,  one  after  another,  and  each  hung 
convulsed  in  the  death  agony,  at  the  end  of  a 
lariat. 

To  me,  the  utter  cowardice  displayed  by  these  ruf 
fians  was  surprising — but  there  is  something  about 
the  desperado  nature  that  is  unaccountable — at  least, 
it  seems  unaccountable,  and  it  is  this.  The  true  des 
perado  is  gifted  with  splendid  courage,  and  yet  he 
will  take  the  most  infamous  advantage  of  his  enemy  ; 
armed  and  free,  he  will  stand  up  before  a  host  and 
fight  until  he  is  cut  to  pieces,  and  yet,  when  brought 
under  the  gallows,  he  will  plead  and  cry  like  a  child. 
The  case  of  Reid,  was  especially  notable,  from  his 
bloody  reputation,  and  the  many  instances  of  courage 
he  had  shown  in  his  conflicts  with  other  outlaws. 
Yet,  when  brought  face  to  face  with  death,  in  a  differ 
ent  form,  he  seemed  the  veriest  poltroon  that  ever 
walked. 

Words  cost  nothing,  and  it  is  easy  to  call  him  a 
coward  (as  all  executed  men,  who  fail  to  die  "  game  " 
are  invariably  called  by  unreasoning  people),  and  when 
a  man  like  Reid,  so  exhausts  himself  by  tears,  pray 
ers  and  lamentations,  that  he  has  scarcely  strength 
enough  to  stand  under  the  gallows,  it  seems  hardly 
possible  that  he  could  be  otherwise.  Yet  he  had  fre 
quently  defied  and  invited  the  vengeance  of  banded 
Rocky  Mountain  cut-throats,  by  shooting  down  their 
comrades  or  leaders,  and  never  offering  to  hide  or  fiy ; 


286 

he  had  shown  himself  to  be  a  man  of  unquestioned 
bravery,  for  no  coward  would  dare  do  such  things. 

We  often  read  of  the  most  brutal  and  cowardly  mur 
derers,  who,  when  on  the  gallows,  make  their  last  dying 
speeches  without  a  tremor  of  the  voice,  and  are  swung 
off,  into  eternity,  with  what  seems  like  the  calmest 
fortitude.  Hence,  it  seems  clear,  that  in  such  low  and 
degraded  natures,  it  cannot  be  moral  courage  that  sus 
tains  them.  But  if  moral  courage  is  not  the  requisite 
quality,  what  is  it  that  suchjmen  as  Reid,  lack  ? 
Bloody,  desperate,  reckless,  and  yet  kindly  mannered 
and  urbane  gentlemen,  who  never  hesitate  to  warn 
their  enemies  of  their  intention  to  kill  them  on  sight, 
when  next  they  meet.  It  seems  to  rne  a  question 
worthy  of  study  and  solution. 

The  executions  over,  wre  returned  to  the  town,  first 
detaching  a  party  to  remove  and  bury  the  bodies. 
Then  the  assemblage  quietly  dispersed,  and  that  night 
our  little  community  saw  the  first  peace  and  quiet  it 
had  known  for  many  a  day. 

The  condition  of  affairs  in  the  new  mining  districts 
was  peculiar.  One  reason  why  murder  and  outrage 
were  so  prevalent,  was,  that  the  rough  element  general 
ly  predominated,  and  among  this  class  a  person  is  not 
respected  until  he  has  "killed  his  man,"  as  they 
express  it.  When  any  new  arrival  came  into  camp, 
no  one  thought  of  inquiring  if  he  was  honest  or  in 
dustrious,  but,  had  he  killed  his  man  1  If  not,  he  was 
a  person  of  small  consequence,  and  unworthy  of  further 


287 

notice  ;  if  he  had,  the  cordiality  of  his  reception,  and 
his  standing  in  the  community  was  graduated  accord 
ing  to  the  number  of  his  victories. 

No  man  could  rise  to  any  position  of  influence,  with 
bloodless  hands,  without  long  and  weary  labor,  but  if 
he  were  known  to  have  killed  half  a  dozen  men,  his 
worth  was  at  once  appreciated,  and  he  became  a  man 
of  note  in  the  community. 

Hence,  it  is  not  surprising  that  many  men  were 
killed  without  the  pretext  of  provocation  ;  so  impatient 
were  these  persons  to  achieve  distinction  and  emerge 
from  their  obscurity,  and  become  shining  lights  among 
the  fraternity  of  desperadoes.  "  There  goes  the  man 
that  killed  Jack  Smith,"  was  the  sort  of  celebrity 
mostly  coveted  by  this  class  of  people ;  and  I  know  of 
several  cases,  where  persons  tried  to  "  kill  their  men," 
for  no  other  reason,  and  in  some  instances  were  suc 
cessful,  in  others,  got  killed  themselves  for  their 
pains. 

In  such  communities  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  con 
vict  a  man  of  murder,  arising  from  one  of  these  public 
brawls  or  aifrays,  and  it  is  only  when  patience  ceases 
to  be  a  virtue,  and  the  long-suffering  miners  and  others 
of  the  law-abiding  classes,  rise  in  their  might,  and  by 
a-n  indiscriminate  execution  of  all  persons  of  bad 
character,  clear  the  atmosphere  for  a  time,  that  such 
crimes  are  ever  punished. 

The  desperado  stalked  the  streets  with  a  swagger, 
graded  according  to  the  number  of  his  homicides,  and 


288 

a  nod  of  recognition  from  him,  was  sufficient  to  make 
an  humble  admirer  happy  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

The  deference  that  was  paid  to  a  desperado  of  wide 
reputation  and  who  kept  his  "  private  graveyard,"  as 
the  phrase  went,  was  marked  and  cheerfully  accorded. 
"When  he  moved  along  the  sidewalk  in  his  excessively 
long-tailed  frock  coat,  shiny  stump-toed  boots,  and  with 
dainty  little  slouch  hat,  tipped  over  his  left  eye,  the 
email-fry  roughs  made  room  for  his  majesty ;  when  he 
entered  the  restaurant,  the  waiters  deserted  bankers 
and  merchants,  to  overwhelm  him  with  obsequious 
attention ;  when  he  shouldered  his  way  to  the  bar,  the 
shouldered  parties  wheeled  indignantly,  recognized 
him,  and — apologized.  They  got  a  look  in  reply,  that 
made  them  tremble  in  their  boots,  and  by  this  time,  a 
gorgeous  barkeeper  was  leaning  over  the  counter, 
proud  of  a  degree  of  acquaintance  that  enabled  him  to 
use  such  familiarity  as  "  how  are  yer  Jack,  old  feller ; 
glad  to  see  you ;  what'll  you  take  ?  the  old  thing  ? " 
meaning  his  usual  drink  of  course. 

The  best  known  names  in  the  mining  towns,  were 
those  belonging  to  these  blood-stained  heroes  of  the 
revolver.  Governors,  politicians,  capitalists,  leaders 
of  the  legislature,  and  men  who  had  made  big  strikes, 
enjoyed  some  degree  of  fame,  but  it  seemed  local  and 
insignificant,  when  compared  with  the  celebrity  of 
Buch  men  as  these.  There  was  a  long  list  of  them. 
They  were  brave,  reckless  men,  and  carried  their  lives 
in  their  own  hands. 


289 

To  do  them  justice,  they  did  their  killing  principally 
among  themselves,  and  seldom  molested  peaceable 
citizens,  for  they  considered  it  small  credit  to  add  to 
their  trophies  so  small  an  affair  as  the  life  of  a  man 
who  was  not  "  on  the  shoot,"  as  they  termed  it.  They 
killed  each  other  on  slight  provocation,  and  hoped  and 
expected  to  be  killed  themselves,  for  they  considered 
it  almost  disgraceful  for  a  man  not  to  die  "  with  his 
boots  on,"  as  they  expressed  it. 

Gradually  their  ranks  were  thinned  by  the  ever 
ready  pistol,  but  it  was  not  so  much  this,  as  the  change 
in  public  sentiment,  that  caused  them  mainly  to  disap 
pear  from  the  older  mining  communities.  Now, 
except  in  new,ly  opened  diggings,  the  genuine  des 
perado  is  a  thing  of  the  past. 

19 


CHAPTEE  XXX. 

CONCLUSION. 

BOUT  this  time  rumors  were  rife  that  the  In 
dians  were  contemplating  a  raid  on  the  mine, 
and  operations  were  temporarily  suspended. 
Meetings  were  called,  and  a  committee  of  de 
fence  organized,  with  a  view  to  taking  such  measures 
as  would  place  the  settlement  in  a  position  to  success 
fully  resist  all,  or  any  attempts  of  the  savages.  Those 
who  had  had  any  experience  in  Indian  warfare  were 
called  to  the  council,  and  consulted  on  the  best  means 
to  avert  the  impending  calamity.  The  panic  was  more 
painfully  apparent  among  those  who  had  come  upon 
the  scene  hampered  with  goods  and  chattels  of  various 
kinds.  These  worthies  were  brimful  of  wrath  and 
whiskey,-  and  gave  free  vent  to  the  expression  of  their 
opinions  regarding  the  outside  world  generally,  and 
Indians  in  particular.  They  were  fertile  in  sugges 
tion  ;  and  the  many  schemes  they  advanced  for  the 
total  destruction  of  all  who  threatened  their  private 
interests  would  have  reflected  credit,  not  to  say  re 
nown,  on  a  Don  Quixote. 

The  thought  of  my  enslaved  wife  was  never  absent 


291 

from  my  mind.  Day  and  night,  sleeping  and  waking, 
her  image  haunted  me.  I  fancied  her  suffering  every 
degree  of  misery ;  and  the  consciousness  that  I  was 
powerless  to  snatch  her  from  the  toils  of  relentless 
captors,  caused  me  the  most  poignant  anguish.  I  had 
a  vague,  half*  formed  notion  of  seeking  her  unaided, 
and  by  once  more  assuming  my  Indian  trappings  and 
cognomen,  advance  in  to  the  Apache  country,  pene 
trate  to  their  villages,  and  by  a  bold  dash,  seize  my 
wife  and  bear  her  defiantly  off  in  the  very  teeth  of 
my  adversaries.  This  would  have  been  very  spirited 
and  chivalrous,  no  doubt,  but  unfortunately,  the  ob 
stacles  that  opposed  themselves  to  this  plan  were 
legion.  No  sooner  did  I  convince  myself  of  the  im 
practicability  of  such  a  mode  of  procedure,  than  other 
plans  would  present  themselves,  which,  iii  their  turn 
would  have  to  be  relinquished  when  submitted  to  the 
rigorous  test  of  praticability.  This  constant  strain  on 
rny  mind  interposed  stumbling  blocks  to  my  material 
prosperity,  as  I  had  no  heart  for  my  work,  and  wan 
dered  about  the  diggings  aimlessly.  I  was  rallied  by 
my  comrades  on  my  morose  temper,  and  recommend 
ed  to  try  work  as  an  effectual  antidote  for  the  causes 
that  were  preying  on  my  health. 

One  balmy  afternoon,  as  I  sauntered  among  tho 
working  parties,  gazing  abstractedly  at  their  opera 
tions,  my  attention  was  attracted  to  a  group,  who 
seemed  to  be  very  much  excited  by  some  event.  A 
few  had  gathered  about  an  object  lying  upon  the 


292 

ground,  while  others  were  running  frantically  in  dif 
ferent  directions  as  if  they  were  possessed.  My  curi 
osity  being  excited  I  approached  the  group,  and  found 
that  the  cause  of  this  alarm  was  one  of  their  comrades, 
who  had  been  bitten  by  a  snake.  The  poor  fellow 
was  moaning  piteously ;  and  so  sure  was  he  that  his 
death  was  only  a  matter  of  a  few  hours  time,  that  he 
had  begun  to  make  the  few  bequests  that  would  dis 
pose  of  all  his  worldly  goods,  including  the  little 
hoard  of  udust,"  so  long  and  patiently  sought  for. 
One  of  his  friends  knelt  at  his  side,  and  was  endea 
voring  to  pour  the  contents  of  a  flask  of  whiskey  down 
his  throat.  The  poison  had  taken  immediate  effect, 
and  he  doubtless  would  have  been  a  corpse  in  a  few 
hours.  I  was  immediately  recognized,  and  one  of  the 
miners  accosted  me  with  "  Hullo  1  Eastman,  just  the 
man  we  want ;  now  is  your  time  to  produce  some  of 
those  marvelous  herbs  you  have  told  us  about,  aud  see 
what  you  can  do  for  this  poor  fellow." 

My  sympathies  were  awakened ;  my  mind  threw 
off  its  semi-stupor  ;  and  hastily  glancing  about  me  on 
the  ground,  I  sought  for  some  of  those  simple  herbs 
and  plants,  that  I  had  seen  so  effectually  used  in 
similar  cases.  Hastily  gathering  what  I  needed,  I 
soon  had  leaves  bandaged  about  the  swollen  parts, 
and  then  turned  iny  attention  to  making  a  decoction 
of  the  herbs.  This  I  forced  the  patient  to  take,  and 
after  caring  for  him  assiduously  during  a  few  hours,  I 
had  the  satisfaction  of  noting  a  marked  change  for  tho 


293 

better.  I  was  deluged  with  congratulations,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  fame  of  this  new  exploit  in  the  healing 
art  was  noised  abroad  throughout  the  mine. 

My  new  friends  were  net  miners,  in  the  proper 
sense  of  the  term,  but  a  party  of  "  mountain  men," 
who  had  been  allured  hither  by  exaggerated  reports 
of  the  immense  wealth  that  was  represented  as  scat 
tered  broadcast  over  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  was 
only  waiting  for  a  claimant.  Arriving  on  the  ground 
they  had  staked  out  a  claim,  and  fell  to  work  without 
any  delay.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  they  did  not  re 
alize  the  immense  riches  they  had  so  fondly  anticipated. 
The  result  was  that  they  had  sickened  of  their  bar 
gain,  and  many  were  for  pulling  up  stakes  and  return 
ing  to  the  free  and  easy  life  among  the  mountains. 

A  short  time  after  the  episode  just  related,  there 
came  to  our  camp  one  day,  a  trapper,  who  had  but 
just  returned  from  his  traps,  and  was  on  his  way  to 
the  nearest  trading  post,  to  exchange  his  peltries  for 
powder,  wearing  apparel,  etc.  From  him  we  learned 
that  the  Indians  were  preparing  for  some  extensive 
raid,  as  he  had  seen  numerous  parties  who  were  in 
their  war  paint.  Among  other  items,  he  related  how 
he  had  been  captured  by  a  band  of  Apaches,  and  had 
remained  among  them  eight  days  before  he  succeeded 
in  eluding  the  vigilance  of  his  guard.  From  him  I 
gained  the  first  information  concerning  my  wife.  Ho 
had  been  captured  by  some  of  Mahtocheega's  band, 
and  by  the  description  he  gave  of  the  white  captives 


294 

at  that  time  in  the  village,  I  felt  sure  that  my  wife 
was  one  of  the  number.  Learning  that  on  his  return 
lie  would  proceed  to  the  same  locality  in  quest  of 
"beaver  plow,"  I  determined  to  accompany  him. 
About  half  a  dozen  signified  their  intention  of  follow 
ing  my  example,  and  a  party  was  soon  made  up.  The 
trapper  bade  us  adien,  promising  to  return  as  soon  as 
his  skins  were  traded  for  the  supplies  of  which  he 
etood  in  need.  Gathering  together  what  little  money 
I  had,  I  purchased  a  horse,  rifle^and  pistol,  and  pre 
pared  to  go  in  search  of  my  lost  wife. 

We  had  not  long  to  wait  for  our  new  friend ;  he 
returned  in  less  than  a  week's  time,  and  all  being  in 
readiness,  we  gathered  up  our  traps,  and  took  a  final 
leave  of  the  mine  of  San  Ildef  onso. 

Passing  out  at  the  northern  end  of  the  settlement, 
we  struck  the  Santa  Fe  road,  and  followed  its  sinuous 
windings  for  some  days.  We  passed  through  the 
sleepy  Mexican  towns,  that  were  situated  along  the 
route,  without  disturbing  in  the  least  degree  the 
habitual  drowsiness  of  their  inhabitants.  On  the 
fourth  day  we  made  a  stretch  of  sixty  miles  through, 
that  terror  of  travelers  in  this  section — the  "  jornado 
del  muerto."  After  having  crossed  in  safety,  we  rested 
one  day  to  recuperate  the  animals,  and  soon  after  ar 
rived  in  Santa  Fe,  halting  at  the  inn  that  had  been 
the  scene  of  the  shooting  affray  on  my  former  visit. 
Our  stay  in  the  capital  of  New  Mexico  was  not  of 
long  duration,  and  once  more  we  resumed  our  journey, 


295 

striking  out  in  a  westerly  direction  towards  the 
mountains. 

Our  first  encampment  was  on  the  banks  of  one  of 
the  tributaries  of  the  Hio  Colorado.  Staking  our 
horses  out,  as  is  the  custom,  we  gathered  around  the 
camp  fire,  discussing  our  evening  meal  of  fresh  ante 
lope  steaks.  Many  were  the  stoiies  toid  of  trapper 
life,  and  as  we  filled  our  pipes  for  a  smoke  before 
retiring,  the  subject  of  conversation  was  upon  food. 
All  had  some  anecdote  to  relate,  and  after  each  had  spun 
his  yam,  Harding,  who  up  to  the  present  had  been 
silent,  drawled  out,  "  Wai,  I  'spect  as  how  yer  have 
had  some  tol'rable  bad  jints  in  yer  time,  but  I  think  I 
kin  jest  lay  over  anything  in  this  yer  party  in  the  way 
o'  supper.  Howsumever,  i  will  give  yer  a  chance  to 
hear  how  this  nigger  once  got  his  supper  up  on  the 
Yallerstone,  last  season. 

"  Yer  see,  I  had  been  in  them  parts  arter  beaver, 
which  war  plenty,  an'  no  mistake ;  an?  one  day,  when 
I  had  gone  to  cache  some  skins,  I  left  my  rifle  in  the 
grass  near  my  traps,  like  a  gosh  darned  fool.  Who 
should  come  along  bat  a  party  of  them  black  niggers, 
the  Crows ;  and  the  first  thing  they  sot  eyes  upon  was 
my  shootin'  iron.  In  course,  I  seed  it  all,  and  jist 
had  tc  lay  low  and  cuss  my  tarnal  stupidity,  while 
them  'ere  Crows  hopped  around  like  mad  at  finding 
my  rifle  and  things.  They  was  so  pleased,  'peared 
like  they  forgot  theirselves,  and  didn't  foller  up  my 
trail,  but  galloped  off,  carryin'  my  plunder  along  with 


296 

them.  lie !  he !  they  mount  a  did  as  well,  and  let  olo 
Harding  alone." 

"I  reckon  that,  too,"  remarked  one;  "'taint  like 
they  made  much  out  of  that  spekalashun." 

"  Yer  see,  I  war  cleaned  out,  an'  left  with  jest  a  pair 
o'  leggins,  better  than  two  hunderd  miles  from  any- 
whur.  The  company's  post  war  the  nearest,  so  I  jest 
took  down  the  river  in  that  direcshun.  I  never  seed 
varmint  so  shy.  They  wouldn't  a  been,  blast  'em,  if 
I  had  cr  had  my  traps ;  but  there  wa'n't  a  critter,  from 
the  minncrs  to  the  burner,  that^didn't  take  on  as  if 
they  knowed  how  this  nigger  war  fixed.  I  could  get 
nothing  for  two  days  but  lizard,  an'  scarce  at  that.  I 
chawed  up  the  old  leggings,  until  I  was  as  naked  as 
Pike's  Peak." 

"Golly!  was  it  winter?" 

"No,  'twur  calf  time,  and  warm  enuff  for  that 
matter.  I  didn't  mind  the  want  o'  garments  in  that 
way,  but  I  kud  a  eat  more  o'  it.  I  soon  struck  a  town 
of  sand  rats,  and  I  made  snares  of  my  hair,  and 
trapped  some  on  'em,  but  they  grew  shy,  too,  cuss  'em, 
and  I  had  to  give  up  that  claim.  This  war  the  third 
day,  and  I  wur  gettin'  powerful  weak.  I  'gin  to 
think  this  child's  time  had  come,  and  I  would  have  ter 
pass  in  my  chips.  'Twur  a  little  arter  sun  up,  an'  I 
wur  sittin'  on  the  bank,  when  I  seed  something 
cur'ous  like  floatin7  down  stream.  \\rhen  it  kim 
closer,  I  seed  it  wur  the  karkidgc  of  a  buffler,  and  a 
of  buzzarts  fioppin'  about  on  the  thing,  pickin' 


297 

its  peepers  out.  'Twur  far  out,  an'  the  water  deep ; 
but  I  said  I  was  goin'  to  fetch  it  ashore,  an'  I  did.  I 
took  to  the  water  an'  swum  out.  I  could  smell  the 
animal  afore  I  wur  half  way.  I  wur  soon  close  up, 
and  seen  at  a  glimpse  that  the  calf  wur  as  rotten  as 
punk.  The  birds,  they  mizzled.  I  wa'n't  agoin'  to 
have  my  swim  for  nothin',  so  I  tnk  the  tail  atween 
my  teeth,  and  wagged  my  flippers  for  the  shore.  I 
hadn't  made  three  strokes  when  the  tail  pulled  out. 
I  then  swum  round  and  pushed  that  'ere  tiling  afore 
me,  until  I  had  got  it  high  and  dry  on  a  sandbar. 
'Twur  like  to  melt  when  I  pulled  it  out  o'  the  water. 
'Twa'n't  eatable  nohow.  I  see  the  buzzarts  still  flying 
about,  and  fresh  ones  coinin',  an'  I  took  a  idee  that  I 
might  get  some,  so  I  laid  down  close  to  the  buffler,, 
and  played  possum.  I  wa'n't  long  there  'fore  a  big 
cock  com  a  floppin'  up,  and  lit  on  the  karkidge.  I 
grabbed  him  by  the  leg.  The  cussed  thing  wur  nearly 
as  stinkin'  as  the  other ;  but  it  wur  die  dog,  buzzart, 
or  buffler ;  so  I  skinned  the  buzzart." 

"  And  ate  it  ? "  inquired  one. 

"  Ko-o,"  slowly  drawled  the  trapper,  "  it  ate  ine." 
A  general  laugh  followed  this  remark. 

"The  rest  o'  the  birds  got  shy,  and  kept  away  on 
t'other  side.  'Twa'n't  no  use.  try  in'  that  dodge  over 
again.  Jest  then  I  'spied  a  coyoat  comin'  lopin'  down 
the  bank,  an'  another  follerin'  upon  his  heels,  an'  two 
or  three  more  on  the  same  trail.  I  know'd  it  would 
be  no  joke  grippin'  one  o'  them  by  the  leg,  but  I  made 


298 

up  my  mind  to  try  it,  an'  I  laid  down  jist  as  afore, 
'side  the  calf.  'Twur  no  go!  they  smelt  a  rat,  an' 
kep'  cTar.  Then  I  tuk  a  fresh  idee  in  iny  head.  1 
went  for  some  o'  the  driftwood  an*  made  a  pen  around 
the  bufiler ;  an'  in  the  wink  o'  my  eye  I  had  six  o'  the 
varmints  in  the  traps." 

"  Then  you  had  'em,  eh,  old  boy  ?  "  said  one. 

"  You  bet ;  I  jest  took  a  lot  of  stones,  clomb  up  on 
the  pen,  an'  killed  the  hull  kit  o'  them.  Such  a 
jumpin'  an'  yowlin,  as  when  I  peppered  them  var 
mints  ;  he  !  he !  he !  ho !  ho  !  Arter  this  I  had  some- 
'at  to  eat ;  an'  in  a  few  days  reached  the  company's 
post." 

"  Did  you  ever  see  any  of  those  redskins  again  ?  "  I 
inquired. 

"  Wai,  you  jest  better  believe  I  did.  Yersee  those 
live  notches  on  this  ere  rifle  ?  wal,  they  stand  for 
Crows,  they  do." 

A  general  laugh  followed  this  yarn,  and  all  averred 
that  his  experience  in  the  eating  line  was  unequalled. 
After  the  trapper  had  finished  his  story,  we  wrapped 
ourselves  in  our  blankets,  and  were  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  horse  guard,  soon  in  a  deep  slumber. 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  and  moving  at  sun 
rise  ;  and  after  a  march  of  twenty  miles,  came 
to  a  small  stream  heading  in  the  Pinon  range.  It  was 
fringed  with  cotton  wood  trees,  and  there  was  grass  in 
abundance  for  our  horses.  We  made  a  halt  for  an 
hour,  and  then  proceeded  on  our  journey.  We  had 


299 

not  gone  far  when  we  made  a  discovery  that  changed 
all  our  plans.  Harding  had  been  riding  about  a  hun 
dred  yards  ahead  of  the  main  party,  when  we  ob 
served  him  suddenly  stop,  bend  down,  and  then  throw 
ing  up  his  hands,  beckon  us  on.  "We  were  soon  up 
to  the  spot,  asking  in  a  breath  what  was  the  matter. 
He  pointed  to  the  ground,  and  sententiously  replied, 
"fresh  Injun  sign"  A  consultation  was  held,  and 
after  an  interchange  of  opinions,  it  was  agreed  that  the 
trail  was  made  by  Apaches,  and  that  from  the  tram 
pled  nature  of  the  ground,  it  indicated  the  presence 
of  a  large  party.  We  had  no  doubt  as  to  their  inten 
tions.  They  were  evidently  bound  south  on  their  an 
nual  foray.  Xow  was  my  time  beyond  peradventure. 
jSTever  could  I  have  had  such  another  opportunity ; 
perhaps  even  if  I  waited  patiently  for  years. 

I  briefly  related  to  my  companions  the  circumstan 
ces  of  my  capture,  captivity,  and  subsequent  escape, 
and  asked  their  aid  in  rescuing  my  wife.  Each 
grasped  me  cordially  by  the  hand,  and  expressed  their 
willingness  to  "  see  me  through  ;  "  and  after  a  few  mo 
ments  more  spent  in  consultation,  we  agreed  on  the 
following  plan :  To  push  on  at  once  and  as  speedily 
as  possible  for  the  Indian  village,  secrete  ourselves  in. 
the  adjacent  mountains  until  nightfall,  and  then  leav 
ing  the  horses  concealed  in  the  bushes  that  fringe  the 
base  of  the  mountain,  advance  on  foot  to  the  chiefs 
lodge.  Once  within  its  portal,  it  would  be  the  work 
of  a  moment  to  seek  out  my  wife,  apprise  her  of  what 


300 

was  transpiring,  and  quietly  leading  -her  out,  hasten  to 
our  animals,  mount,  and  ride  away.  This  plan  seemed 
feasible,  and  as  moments  were  precious,  we  resumed 
the  march. 

About  noon  we  debouched  through  the  mountain 
pass  into  a  country  of  "  openings  ; "  small  prairies 
bounded  by  jungly  forests,  and  interspersed  with  tim 
ber  islands.  These  prairies  were  covered  with  tall 
grass;  and  buffalo  signs  appeared  as  we  rode  into 
them.  We  saw  their  "  roads,"  "  chips,"  and  "  wal 
lows."  These  signs  filled  us  with  pleasurable  antici 
pations;  as  who  has  not  longed  for  the  delicious 
"  hump  ribs,"  which,  when  once  tasted  in  all  their 
juicy  richness,  are  never  to  be  forgotten.  The  full- 
grown  forms  of  the  cacti  were  around  us,  bearing  red 
and  yellow  fruit  in  abundance.  AYe  plucked  the  pears 
of  the  pita-hay  a,  and  ate  them  greedily ;  in  short,  we 
dined  on  fruits  and  vegetables  of  many  varieties,  in 
digenous  only  to  this  "wild  region.  But  our  stom 
achs  longed  for  the  favorite  food,  and  we  pushed  on 
through  the  openings.  We  had  ridden  about  an  hour 
among  the  chaparral,  when  Harding,  who  was  riding 
in  advance,  pointed  downward,  and  intimated  by  signs 
that  he  had  struck  fresh  buffalo  tracks.  V ery  soon  after 
the  animals  came  in  view,  and  by  using  the  bushes  as 
cover,  we  made  a  very  effectual  "  surround,"  killing 
some  three  or  four.  That  night  we  regaled  ourselves 
on  buffalo,  and  the  following  morning  pushed  on  with 
renewed  vigor,  and  in  the  best  of  spirits. 


301 

l^ear  evening  on  the  fourth  day  following,  we  ar 
rived  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra  ;  and  directly  in  -front 
of  us,  about  midway  up  the  valley,  or  pass,  more  prop 
erly  speaking,  lay  the  Apache  village.  An  exclama 
tion  of  joy  escaped  my  lips.  At  last,  then,  the  hopes 
and  longings  of  nine  weary  years  were  about  to  be  sat 
isfied.  My  reflections  were  abruptly  terminated  by 
Harding  remarking  that  it  was  highly  important  that 
we  seek  cover  and  approach  the  village  cautiously,  if 
we  expected  our  efforts  to  be  crowned  with  success. 
All  felt  the  justness  of  this  observation,  and  seeking 
the  cover  of  the  mountain,  we  proceeded  on  our  jour 
ney.  In  a  short  time  we  had  advanced  as  near  as  we 
deemed  it  prudent,  until  the  night  should  close  in.  Our 
reins  were  tightened,  and  we  sat  on  our  weary  horses, 
looking  over  the  plain.  A  magnificent  panorama  un 
der  any  circumstances  lay  before  us  ;  but  its  interest 
was  heightened  by  the  peculiar  circumstances  under 
which  we  viewed  it.  The  lodges  were  dotted  over 
the  plain  in  picturesque  profusion,  the  smoke  curling 
gracefully  up  in  their  dreamy  spirals.  One  lodge 
stood  apart,  and  from  its  size  and  decorations,  we  at  , 
once  guessed  it  to  be  the  abode  of  the  chief.  Harding 
confirmed  our  conjectures.  Several  droves  of  horses 
were  quietly  browsing  on  the  open  prairie.  The  sun 
was  setting.  The  mountains  were  tinged  with  an  am 
ber  colored  light ;  and  the  quartz  crystals  sparkled  on 
the  peaks  of  the  southern  Sierras.  It  was  a  scene  of 
silent  beauty. 


302 

We  remained  for  some  time  gazing  np  the  valley, 
witho'ut  any  one  uttering  his .  thoughts.  It  was  the 
silence  that  precedes  resolve.  An  hour  has  fled ;  the 
sun  sinks  below  the  horizon,  and  the  mountains  take 
on  a  sombre  hue.  It  is  night.  "VVe  urge  our  horses 
forward  once  more,  keeping  close  to  the  mountain  foot ; 
conversing  in  whispers,  we  crawl  around  and  among 
the  loose  boulders  that  have  fallen  from  above,  and 
after  an  hour's  ride  we  find  ourselves  opposite  the  town . 

The  night  passes  slowly  and^  silently ;  one  by  one 
the  iires  are  extinguished,  and  the  plain  is  wrapped  in 
the  gloom  of  a  moonless  night.  The  swan  utters  its 
wild  note,  the  gruya  whoops  over  the  stream,  and  the 
wolf  howls  on  the  skirts  of  the  sleeping  village. 

Dismounting,  we  gather  in  a  little  knot,  and  con 
sult  as  to  what  plan  we  shall  pursue.  It  is  finally 
determined  that  Harding  and  myself  shall  penetrate 
into  the  village,  enter  the  chiefs  lodge,  abduct  my 
wife,  and  hastily  rejoin  our  comrades,  who  will  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  cover  our  retreat,  and,  if 
the  worst  comes  te  the  worst,  keep  our  pursuers  at  bay 
until  we  have  made  good  our  escape. 

Hastily  divesting  ourselves  of  all  unnecessary  accou 
trements,  we  started  out  on  the  plain,  and  cautiously 
approached  the  chief's  lodge,  which  loomed  up  in  the 
darkness  like  some  hideous  genii. 

An  Indian  dog  that  was  lurking  about  the  door 
gave  the  alarm,  but  Ilarding's  knife  entered  his  vitals 
ere  he  could  repeat  it. 


303 

Now  was  the  critical  moment  Drawing  the  flap 
aside  that  served  as  a  door,  I  peered  cautiously  in ;  all 
was  silent ;  a  small  tire  was  burning  in  the  center  of 
the  lodge,  its  fitful  gleam  dimly  illuminating  the  inte 
rior.  A  number  of  low  couches  were  ranged  around 
the  wall. 

But  at  this  juncture  a  dilemma  presented  itself. 
Here  were  a  number  of  women,  one  of  whom  was  cer 
tainly  my  wife ;  but  how  was  I  to  ascertain  in  which 
of  these  couches  she  reposed.  If  I  should  trust  to 
chance,  advance  to  the  first  one  and  peer  in,  and  by  so 
doing  startle  its  inmate,  even  though  that  inrnate  were 
my  wife,  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  visit  would  so 
startle  her  that  she  would  not  be  enabled  tc  recognize 
the  intruder. 

However,  I  determined  to  approach  the  first  bed 
and  trust  to  the  chapter  of  accidents  for  the  rest. 
Advancing  noiselessly  to  the  side  of  the  couch,  I  lifted 
the  curtain  of  dressed  buffalo  hide.  The  fire  cast  a 
dim  light  over  the  face  of  the  sleeper,  and,  oh,  joy,  it 
was  the  loved  features  of  my  wife.  I  tried  to  speak, 
whisper  her  name ;  my  tongue  clove  to  the  roof  of  my 
mouth.  I  trembled  like  an  aspen,  and  had  to  grasp 
the  bed  for  support.  This  movement  awakened  the 
sleeper,  and  with  an  half-suppressed  exclamation,  she 
sprung  to  a  sitting  posture. 

To  breathe  her  name,  clasp  her  in  rny  arms,  and 
rush  for  the  door,  was  the  work  of  an  instant,  and 
hastily  snatching  a  robe  that  was  suspended  from  the 


304 

side  of  tlie  lodge,  I  enveloped  her  in  it,  and  rapidly 
gained  the  cover  of  the  mountain.  In  a  few  moments 
our  party  was  in  full  gallop  down  the  valley. 

Leaving  the  Indian  village,  we  started  with  all 
speed  on  our  return.  I  did  not  anticipate  pursuit,  and 
we  made  no  attempt  to  conceal  our  trail. 

Indeed,  my  mind  was  so  occupied  with  the  grand 
fact  that  I  had  recovered  my  long-lost  darling,  that  I 
thought  of  nothing  else.  As  we  rode  along,  each  re 
counted  to  the  other  the  story  of  their  toils,  trials, 

* 

and  sufferings ;  a  thousand  questions  were  asked  and 
answered ;  and  in  the  joy  of  the  present  and  hope  for 
the  future,  we  were  for  a  time  happy. 

About  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  we  approached  a 
thick  chaparral,  and  were  just  entering  it,  when  a 
party  of  about  sixty  Apaches  suddenly  rushed  out 
from  its  leafy  coverts,  and  with  the  rapidity  of  thought 
we  were  surrounded  and  captured.  My  wife  was  able, 
by  her  influence  with  the  leader  of  the  party,  to  save 
us  from  indignity,  and  a  lengthy  parley  followed.  I 
made  known  to  the  chief  my  desire  to  recover  my 
wife,  and  endeavored  to  arrange  some  terms  of  pur 
chase  or  barter.  In  this  I  was,  after  a  time,  success 
ful,  and,  after  an  interminable  siege  of  pipe  smoking 
and  discussion,  relative  to  the  price,  we  came  to  terms, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  I  had  purchased  my  wife  at  the 
cost  of  all  my  worldly  possessions.  But  I  cared  not 
for  this ;  on  the  contrary,  I  was  only  too  glad  to  re 
cover  my  wife  at  any  cost,  and  felt  no  regret  at  parting 


305 

from  the  accumulations  of  two  years  of  toil  and  hard 
ship. 

Resuming  our  journey,  we  reached  Santa  Fe  in  > 
safety,  in  a  few  deys,  and  commenced  making  prepa 
rations  for  our  return  to  the  East.  The  kind-hearted 
Mexican  women  overwhelmed  my  wife  with  attentions, 
arid  she  was  soon  provided  with  apparel  more  suitable 
than  the  barharic,  although  beautiful,  Indian  costume. 
My  principal  difficulty  was  the  want  of  money,  and  I 
was  much  perplexed  to  know  how  to  secure  a  suffi 
cient  sum  to  enable  us  to  return  to  our  friends.  It  is 
probable  that  had  I  freely  stated  our  circumstances 
and  narrated  our  sad  story,  generous  hearts  might 
have  been  found  among  the  many  American  miners 
and  trappers  sojourning  in  the  town ;  for  many  a  noble 
heart  beats  beneath  a  rough  and  unpromising  exterior ; 
but  my  pride  shrank  from  appearing  in  the  character 
of  a  mendicant,  and  I  finally  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  we  must  remain  at  Santa  Fe  for  a  time,  until  I 
could  find  some  employment  by  which  to  earn  suffi 
cient  means  to  enable  us  to  return  to  our  former  home. 
I  had  forgotten  the  fact  that  I  possessed  a  warm  friend 
in  Ned  Harding,  or,  if  I  had  thought  of  him  in  this 
connection,  it  was  not  with  any  idea  that  he  could 
aid  me. 

In  this  I  was  mistaken,  as  the  sequel  will  show.  On 
the  third  morning  after  my  return,  Ned  called  me  out 
under  pretence  of  taking  a  walk,  and  after  strolling 

about  for  a  time  in  silence,  he  opened  his  mind  as  fol- 

20 


306 

lows :  "  Well  lad,  what  are  ye  goin'  to  do  next  ?  I 
suppose  you  don't  intend  to  stay  here  in  this  'ere  God 
forsaken  hole,  that  these  yaller-bellies  calls  a  city ;  the 
Lord  forgive  their  ignorance ;  if  they  could  only  see 
Lunnon,  once — well,  as  I  was  a  sayin',  you  can't  etay 
here,  and  you  can't  take  your  little  girl  back  into  the 
mining  kentry,  very  well ;  so  what  do  you  mean  to  do  ? 
let  old  Ned  know,  and  don't  go  round,  keepiii'  as  close 
as  an  ister,  arid  never  sayin'  iiothin'  to  nobody."  Thus 
admonished,  I  forgot  my  reserve,  and  fully  explained 
to  him  my  dilemma.  He  listened  in  silence  until  I 
had  finished,  and  then  broke  forth  with — "  Why,  Lord 
bless  ye,  lad,  yer  gettin'  foolish,  certain,  ho  !  ho !  yer 
little  woman  has  turned  yer  head,  sure ;  why,  yer  for 
got  all  about  the  mine,  and  I  reckon  there's  vally 
enough  to  that  to  send  ye  home  like  a  nabob,  if  you 
like  to  travel  that  way." 

"  The  mine  ! "  I  exclaimed  in  surprise,  "  why  Ned, 
I  thought  we  had  abandoned  it  altogether,  you  don't 
mean  to  tell  me  that  I  can  realize  anything  from  the 
claim  ? " 

"  You  bet,  I  mean  just  that ; "  said  Harding,  his 
features  expanding  into  a  broad  grin  as  he  marked  my 
look  of  utter  astonishment.  "  Why  lad,  if  we  were  all 
agreed  on  the  thing,  I've  got  a  party  here  that'll  give 
us  five  thousand  apiece  for  our  claim — 1  ain't  such  a 
fool  as  I  look,  and  it  wa'nt  for  nothin'  that  I  left  Pete 
there  a  hoi  din'  possession,  and  there  he'll  stay  till  he 
hears  from  me — so  now  if  you're  willin'  to  take  five 


307 

thousand  for  your  shcr,  just  say  the  word,  and  we'll 
have  it  settled  in  no  time." 

Further  inquiry  elicited  the  information  that  during 
the  two  days  previous,  while  I  had  spent  my  time  in 
unprofitable  cogitation,  Ned  had  been  "  kinder  pros- 
pectin'  round  among  the  speck ilaters,"  as  he  termed 
it,  and  had  found  parties  willing  and  anxious  to  buy  the 
claim  held  jointly  by  Ned,  Pete  Jackson,  and  myself, 
for  fifteen  thousand  dollars  in  cash.  Ned  had  brought 
with  him  some  specimens  of  the  quartz  which  he  had 
shown  to  the  intending  purchasers,  and  some  of  which 
they  had  subjected  to  assay,  and  the  result  of  this  had 
determined  them  to  buy  the  claim  if  everything  could 
be  satisfactorily  arranged. 

It  did  not  take  me  long  to  decide,  in  fact,  I  fairly 
jumped  at  the  offer.  The  sum  mentioned  seemed  a 
princely  fortune  at  the  time,  and,  in  fact,  to  one  in  my 
situation  it  really  was  so,  for  wealth  is  but  comparative, 
after  all.  The  following  morning  the  trade  was 
arranged,  the  necessary  papers  drawn  up,  and  Ned 
left  the  same  afternoon  for  the  mine  in  company  with 
the  buyers,  to  deliver  the  property  and  complete  the 
transaction.  In  a  few  days  he  returned,  and  I  soon 
found  myself  in  possession  of  five  thousand  dollars  in 
gold  coin,  the  largest  amount  of  money  I  ever  owned. 

I  now  Iiurried  the  preparations  for  our  departure, 
and  a  few  days  later  we  joined  an  eastward  bound 
train,  and  journeyed  with  it  towards  the  rising  sun ! 
With  the  details  of  our  journey  I  will  not  weary  the 


308 

reader,  suffice  it  to  say  that  we  made  the  trip  without 
trouble  or  molestation  of  any  sort,  and  reached  St. 
Louis  in  safety.  How  strange  it  all  seemed,  to  walk 
about  the  streets  of  the  great  city  of  the  West,  and  as 
the  residents  fondly  term  it  "  the  future  great  city  of 
the  world ; "  everything  seemed  so  unreal,  after  the 
long  years  of  my  captivity  and  wild  life  among  the 
mountains,  that  I  used  sometimes  to  fancy  that  it  was 
all  but  a  dream  and  I  would  presently  awake  to  find 
myself  again  in  the  temple  witji  Wakoinetkla,  in  that 
strange  arid  far  off  land  hidden  among  the  mighty 
mountains  of  the  Sierra  Madre. 

We  remained  but  a  few  days  in  the  metropolis  of 
the  West,  and  then  journeyed  to  a  point  further  east 
ward,  where  my  wife  had  relatives  living,  or  at  least 
supposed  that  some  might  yet  be  surviving.  On  our 
arrival  we  found  such  to  be  the  case,  and  a  joyful  re 
union  was  the  result ;  we  being  received  as  two  risen 
from  the  dead. 

And  now  our  cup  of  happiness  was  indeed  full ; 
reunited  after  so  long  a  .separation  and  such  bitter 
suffering  we  had  returned  at  last  to  friends  and 
home ! 

In  conclusion,  I  can  only  express  my  thanks  to  those 
kind  readers  who  have  followed  me  patiently  through 
all  my  wanderings,  and  listened  to  my  simple,  yet  I 
hope  not  uninteresting  narrative  of  the  hardships  and 
perils  through  which  I  have  passed. 

If  the  story  of  our  captivity  has  proved  a  source  of 


309 

entertainment  to  the  reader — if  it  haply  excites  a  feel 
ing  of  sympathy  and  interest  for  the  many  wretched 
captives  who  yet  remain  in  a  servitude  worse  than 
death  among  the  rude  tribes  of  the  West — if  it  renders 
the  general  public  more  familiar  with  a  region  of 
which  so  little  is  known — if  should  chance  to  afford  to 
those  officials  of  our  government,  to  whom  the  subject 
is  relegated,  any  new  views  in  reference  to  the  proper 
method  of  dealing  with  the  Indians — if  it  accomplishes 
any  of  these  ends,  I  shall  be  more  than  repaid  for  my 
labor  in  its  preparation. 

My  thanks  are  also  due  to  my  kind  friend,  Dr. 
Clark  Johnson,  without  whose  opportune  aid  this  book 
would  never  have  been  written. 

And  now  kind  reader,  for  the  present  at  least, 
farewell. 


THE   Effl*. 


TO   THE   PUBLIC. 


As  there  has  been  considerable  inquiry  concerning  the  remedy  to  which 
allusion  is  herein  made,  I  will,  by  way  of  explanation,  make  the  following 
statement,  wbich  will  relieve  me  from  a  large  amount  of  correspondence 
with  anxious  inquirers. 

The  remedy  is  the  most  remarkable  purifier  of  the  blood  that  I  have  ever 
known  ;  it  is  ft  tonic,  a  diuretic,  a  nervine,  and  a  gentle  laxative.  It  is 
alterative,  sudorific,  eoporiflc,  and  deobstruent. 

These  qualities,  harmoniously  blend~d  into  one  single  remedy,  make  one 
of  the  very  best  combinations  which  can  possibly  be  taken  into  the  human 
system. 

It  is  a  very  remarkable  remedy  in  diseases  of  the  stomach.  Dyspepsia 
cannot  exiet  for  any  length  of  time  if  *his  remedy  be  taken  as  directed, 
instantly  after  eating. 

All  Diseases  of  the  Liver  and  Bowels  readily  succumb  to  its  magic 
influence,  while  all  nervous  diseases  and  all  diseases  of  the  blood  are 
speedily  eradicated  by  the  peculiar  elements  in  its  composition,  which  act 
directly  upon  snch  difficulties. 

We  have  thousands  upon  thousands  of  certificates  from  persons  who  have 
been  afflicted  with  various  maladies,  and  who  have  been  cured  by  the  use  of 
this  remedy  ;  and  1  am,  myself,  frequently  made  surprised  to  learn  what 
wonderful  results  follow  the  use  of  this  medicine. 

The  remedy,  Dr.  CI.AHK  JOHNSON'S  INDIAN  BLOOD  STRUT,  is  sold  by 
agents  iu  nearly  every  post- village  in  the  United  States  ;  but  wherever  it 
happens  that  I  do  not  have  an  agent,  I  shall  be  glad  to  make  one,  and  would 
invite  honorable  persons  to  communicate  with  me  upon  the  subject  of  an 
agency. 

1  req-uire  no  money  from  agtnts  except  as  the  rnedidnee  are  told. 

Trusting  that  the  afflicted  will  make  a  trial  of  this  remarkable  remedy, 
which  has  providentially  fallen  upon  my  notice, 


I  am,  with  respect, 

Yours,  truly, 

C.  JOHNSON, 

Jersey    City,   N.J, 
Juty  Id,  1873. 


14  DAY  USE 

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